Parents warned after girl, 10, sexually assaulted by teen in Shrewsbury attack

Police said a teenage boy led the girl to a disused and secluded spot in Shrewsbury and sexually assaulted her "for some time".

Officers today appealed for witnesses to the incident and warned residents to be on their guard following the incident at 3.45pm on Friday.

Detective Chief Inspector Jon Marsden, who is leading the investigation, said the girl had been walking along St Michael's Street in Shrewsbury, towards Ditherington Road, when she was approached from behind by a teenage boy who asked her to help him find something he had lost.

Mr Marsden said: "He led her to a disused area near the Arc car wash centre where he took her out of sight behind a container and sexually assaulted her for some time.

"He left the area and the girl left later and raised the alarm. The girl has described her attacker as being white and aged between 13 and 17.

"Such crimes are extremely rare, but clearly this is a very worrying offence and we need to find the youth responsible as soon as possible.

"We have a team of officers working on the case, including specially trained officers who, over the weekend, have been working with the girl and her family. We have also conducted forensic tests, house-to-house inquiries and a trawl of CCTV in the area.

"We are at the early stages of the investigation so are unable to release many details at this stage but we hope to be able to give further updates in the coming days.

"We need anyone who was in the area of St Michael's Street on Friday afternoon and saw anyone acting suspiciously to get in touch. Any tiny piece of information could be useful.

"We would particularly like to speak to anyone who saw a teenage male with a younger girl between 3.45pm and 4pm.

"Also, if you think you may know who the boy is, you need to contact the police immediately. We believe he is local, not least because he seems to have good knowledge of the area."

Mr Marsden said that until the culprit was found, families were to take simple steps to make sure their children were as safe as possible.

He added: "Without wanting to alarm parents and guardians too much, I would recommend that, if at all possible, primary school-aged children are supervised when away from home either by yourselves or a trusted adult.

"This week it is the Easter holidays so, for the time being, we suggest parents make sure they know where their children are and if possible stay in contact via mobile phone."

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Shrewsbury CID via the non-emergency police number, 101.

Information can also passed on anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Callers should quote the reference number 599s 11/04/14.