Locals asked to help find young girl’s attacker

Published on 26/06/2012 00:00

POLICE have appealed to a community to help identify a man who violently attacked a nine-year-old girl with a glass bottle on Friday evening.

The man hit the girl over the head from behind with the bottle as she was walking home alone on Craigton Road, in Glasgow, at about 6pm.

It is thought he was drunk when he carried out the unprovoked assault on the young girl, who was then rushed to Yorkhill Hospital.

Although passers-by were able to help the girl and raise the alarm, they could only describe the attacker as wearing a grey tracksuit, and said he ran off in the direction of the Drumoyne housing estate.

Following initial investigations over the weekend, Detective Inspector Scott McMillan, of Helen Street CID, yesterday urged members of the local community who had either witnessed the incident or had information about it, to get in touch with them.

He said: “Our inquiries are progressing, and we have been viewing CCTV and speaking to the public in an effort to gain as much information as possible to catch this person who assaulted an innocent young girl in broad daylight.

“Our inquiries so far have revealed that a man, fitting the description of the suspect, wearing a grey tracksuit and carrying a bottle, was seen walking in the underpass below the M8 at Jura Street.

“This man was seen acting suspiciously just 20 minutes before the attack on the young girl occurred.

“We are keen to speak to this man in relation to any information he may have.

“I would like to speak to anyone who may have seen this man prior to the attack, or anyone who resides in the Drum-oyne housing estate who may have seen him after the attack, just after 6pm.”

He added: “It is absolutely imperative we trace this violent individual.”