A 13-year-old girl was grabbed from behind by a man in Walton and freed herself by hitting him in the face.

Police are now appealing for witnesses to come forward following the incident in Ambleside Avenue on Sunday, July 21.

The victim was walking down the road at about 10pm when she was approached from behind by a man, who put his arm around her neck and attempted to pull her backwards.

To free herself, the teenager struck the man in the face and ran away.

The man was  Asian, in his 20s, of medium build, about 5ft 10in and had a short trimmed beard.

He was wearing a pale blue hooded top with the hood pulled up, jeans and glasses.

The teenager was not injured during the incident, but police said she had been left very shaken.

Detective Constable Suzy Marten, leading the investigation, said: “We are in the process of trying to establish the motive of the assault and I am appealing for anyone who saw or heard anything out of the ordinary to contact Surrey Police.

“We are carrying out house to house enquiries and reviewing local CCTV footage as part of the ongoing investigation to track the man down.”

Elmbridge neighbourhood inspector David Hollingsworth said: “We are taking this offence very seriously and I would like to reassure Walton residents that this is an isolated offence and we are doing everything possible to bring the offender to justice.

“We have increased high visibility patrols in the local area and I would urge anyone who thinks they know who this man is to contact us so we can swiftly bring him to justice.”

Anyone with information about the assault should call Surrey Police on 101, quoting reference EL/13/4872, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

 

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