stockport train station
Officers say that a woman was 'humiliated and shocked' after a boy, believed to be 11-years-old, sexually assaulted her Google Streetview

A boy believed to be just 11 years old is being hunted by police as the suspect of a sexual assault on a woman in a train station. British Transport Police (BTP) says the victim was waiting with her boyfriend in the booking hall at Stockport railway station when she was groped by the youngster, who then left the station laughing.

The incident, which took place at around 3.45pm on Friday (24 June 2016), saw her attacker return a short while later and begin "messing around" by the ticket barriers at the Edgeley side of the station. Officers have said that station staff asked him to leave and he responded by spitting at them.

More from IBTimes UK

PC Rebecca Swift of the BTP said: "The victim of the sexual assault was left feeling humiliated and shocked by what happened.

"A saliva sample was collected following the incident, and officers are now working to try to identify the boy. If you witnessed what happened, it is vital we hear from you as any information could be crucial to our investigation.

"We take all reports of this nature very seriously, and our Report It to Stop It campaign, which aims to combat unwanted sexual behaviour on the UK railway network by encouraging members of the public to report it, is proving very successful in supporting victims and bringing perpetrators of these crimes to justice."

The boy is described as white, approximately 11 years of age, medium build, with short dark hair, and wearing a black bubble jacket with a hood, black trousers and black trainers at the time.

Anyone with information that may assist this investigation is asked to contact the BTP on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016 quoting reference number 171 of 28/06/2016.

UK crime