A SCHOOLGIRL was reportedly raped in a busy city centre today as cops launched an urgent manhunt for the attacker.
Officers rushed to St John’s Gardens in Liverpool at around 1.50am where they found a “very distressed” 16-year-old.
Cops rushed to St John’s Gardens in Liverpool at around 1.50am
Merseyside Police said she had been the victim of an assault by an unknown male.
The girl is being supported by specially trained officers and an investigation is currently underway.
Police are examining recently installed CCTV in St John’s Gardens while witness enquiries are carried out.
High visibility patrols will also continue and members of the public are encouraged to engage with officers and report any suspicious or unusual activity.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Parry said: “This is clearly a very shocking incident which has left a young girl very distressed.
“I want the public to be reassured that we will do everything in our powers to find the person responsible and bring them to justice.
“I would urge anyone with information which could assist our enquiries to get in touch as a matter of urgency.
“We believe there were a number of people in the vicinity of St John’s Gardens at the time of this incident who left without speaking to our patrols.
“I would urge them to come forward and speak to us as information they have could be critical in helping us to identify the person responsible.
“As part of our enquiries we will be examining the newly installed CCTV cameras in St John’s Gardens together with Liverpool City Council’s CityWatch cameras.
“I would also appeal to any delivery or taxi drivers who were in the area at around 1.30am today to check their dashcam to establish if they captured anything significant.
“We want people who visit the city centre and St John’s Gardens to feel safe and we will continue to provide dedicated high visibility policing patrols to deter offenders and educate and protect the public.
“We will also be working with Liverpool City Council’s park patrols to assist us in increasing visibility in the area and as part of the Home Office funding we successfully applied for we will continue to look at new initiatives to increase safety and reduce serious violence.”
Anyone with information which could assist the investigation is asked to DM @MerPolCC or call 101.
Information can also be passed on anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 24000333447.