A DAD spoke of his worry after a man grabbed his 17- year-old daughter as she walked to a friend’s house in Leigh.

The Echo reported on Friday how the girl was in Sunningdale Avenue at about 10pm on July 6 when a man pulled up alongside her in a car and asked her if she wanted a lift.

She refused, but the man stopped the car and got out. He came towards her and grabbed her arm. She shoved him and ran off.

Her dad, who didn’t want to be named, said the police officer who dealt with the incident had been very good. But the father was frustrated that it seemed no progress was being made.

He said: “My daughter made a 999 call and the police got there an hour and three quarters later. I was knocking on the doors at midnight asking if anyone had seen this particular vehicle.” He said he felt information should have been released sooner.

He said: “It is lucky my daughter is quite aggressive, but it has still shaken her up.

“She was screaming and yelling at him. At that time, someone might know something, but two weeks down the line, maybe not.”

The man drove off inadark, old-style, possibly four-door, saloon-style car. He is described as Asian, in his late thirties to early forties, 5ft 7ins tall, stocky with a chubby or fat, bloated, stomach.

He had short dark hair, is clean shaven with a clean, clear complexion.

He wore a long-sleeved, yellow, orange and brown checked shirt, straight fit-style trousers and had a strong Asian accent.

Anyone who can name the man, witnessed the incident or has any information, is asked to contact PC Wayne Callaghan at Southend police station on 101.

! The Echo reported on Tuesday how a 12-year-old girl was invited to get into a man’s car as she walked in Kingswood Chase, Leigh, at 3.10pm on Friday, July 12. The girl ignored him and the man drove off.

 

Police: We are not linking incidents

POLICE say they are not linking the two incidents in Leigh.

The driver who approached the 17-year-old girl is described as Asian while in the second incident, in Kingswood Chase, the driver is described as white, in his fifties or sixties with a weathered face. He is small, with thin arms.

A police spokesman said: “In each instance, there could be an alternative explanation of the actions of both men.

“With this in mind, we would urge the men to come forward and clarify their actions and intentions.

“Due to the ages of both victims, special interviews have to be conducted with parents present.”

The spokesman added the first incident was on a busy evening for police and as the girl was safely with friends when she reported it, there was no urgent need for them to attend.

He said: “Officers looked at number plate recognition cameras and found more than 400 activations of black vehicles. In the second incident, details of the car were circulated to all officers in the area and a search was carried out, along with house-to-house enquiries. We established there was no CCTV.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact officers at Southend police station on 101.