police hunt hanley park ‘flasher’ who targeted schoolgirls Sexual Abuser

July 2013 Police hunt Hanley Park ‘flasher’ who targeted schoolgirls POLICE are hunting a bald-headed pervert who flashed at two schoolgirls before disappearing into the bushes at Stoke-on-Trent’s biggest park.

An 11-year-old and her friend, aged 12, were approached by a man wearing an England shirt in Central Forest Park, Hanley, who then indecently exposed himself.

A passing cyclist saw what was happening and stopped, scaring the flasher away.

The flasher was white with a bald or shaved head and wearing glasses.

He was wearing three-quarter length denim shorts and a blue England training shirt.

The terrified youngsters had been walking along the footpath towards the Union Street entrance when the incident happened at around 6.35pm on Monday.

Residents and park users today spoke of their shock after hearing how the schoolgirls had been targeted in an area popular with families.

Reg Shaw, aged 79, of Forest Court, said: “Hearing that some poor girls had to experience such a thing is so dreadful I could weep.

“Previously extra cameras were installed and the trees were cut back to make it safer because there were quite a few incidents where kids were having their phones pinched.

“To be honest, the park is so widely used by cyclists and skateboarders that it is normally full of people.

“But unfortunately there are no wardens patrolling the park permanently.

It’s a shame because it’s such a lovely place and if it gets a bad reputation people won’t take their kids there.

Someone needs to monitor it to protect the kids.” Paul Breeze, chairman of the Friends of Central Forest Park, said: “I am shocked someone would expose themselves like that but you get the odd nutcase every so often.

“It must have been frightening for the young girls but it is a blessing that they were together.

“Incidents at the park are relatively few and far between.

Generally speaking it is a great place and it’s a shame that these odd incidents occur.

It is a big open public park and the only thing we can hope for is to find out who it is.

“Hopefully it won’t put people off going to the park because the busier it is, the safer it will be.” A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: “A male passerby on a push bike intervened and the offender walked off into bushes heading towards the direction of The Bulls Head or Vale Place.

The passerby then alerted police officers on patrol in Hanley to the incident.

View from the Bulls head pub “An investigation into the incident is now underway.

Police are particularly keen to trace the passerby on the push bike who raised the alarm.” Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Craig Dutton on 101 quoting incident number 665 of July 22, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.