Parents in the West Wight and across the Island have expressed their worry that the description of a man wanted for a sex attack on an 11-year-old girl last week matches the description of a man wanted for a second incident on Tuesday and another sexual assault back in March, prompting fears that a serial sex attacker is on the loose.
Police yesterday (Friday) confirmed they are looking at previous cases to determine whether or not last Saturday’s attack matches any other incidents in the county, however have failed to comment on reports of a man approaching a girl on Tuesday afternoon. It is reported the mother of the child involved in Tuesday’s scare was asked to ‘keep quiet’.
An aerial search was launched 7 days ago after an innocent 11-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at Fort Victoria, prompting an appeal to be launched by Hampshire Constabulary to locate a man described as white, aged in his 50s, around 6ft tall with ‘uncut’ grey hair and of average build.
Following Tuesday’s alleged incident, the description given to Island Echo of the suspect who approached a young girl in the Halletts Shute area is a white man, aged in his 50s with curly grey hair. Shockingly, the description is very similar to Saturday’s attacker prompting fears the suspect is attempting to strike again.
Looking at similar reports of sexual assaults on the Island, the description of a man aged in his late 40s to mid 50s, around 6ft tall with brown/grey curly hair and of average build was given after a 13-year-old girl was attacked in Carisbrooke as she walked home from school back in March. The attack earlier this year came just days after a man, described as white, aged 40-60 with grey hair flashed at two girls at Puckpool Park in Ryde.
Mums and dads living in the West Wight have told Island Echo they are keeping their children inside where possible and have informed the local school of their concerns. It comes as Detective Inspector Floyd Higginson of Hampshire Constabulary said yesterday:
“We reiterate our personal safety advice is to ensure that parents are aware of where their children are and avoid letting them walk or play alone in secluded areas. We ask that you report any suspicious activity or people to us.”
Police are searching through CCTV footage from a farm in Yarmouth in an attempt to identify Tuesday’s suspect, who is said to have called over the girl before making a threat. She was unharmed.
