Schoolgirl dragged off street and raped by masked attacker in Manchester

A 12-year-old girl was dragged off the street into an alleyway and raped by a man wearing a balaclava.

The incident occurred on Tuesday 22 November 2016, as the schoolgirl was walking along Chapel Street in Levenshulme, Manchester, near the Horseshoe pub between 4pm and 4.30pm GMT.

She was grabbed from behind and dragged into an alleyway which runs behind Cardus Street. The attacker later fled from the scene in the direction of Stockport Road from Chapel Street.

Police said the girl only spoke out about the attack last week. Chief Inspector John-Paul Ruffle, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "The girl is understandably very distressed and we continue to offer her our help and support.

"She was extremely brave reporting this to police and we will do everything in our power to find the man responsible for this attack.

"Detectives are currently gathering as much information as possible, while a team of officers have been speaking to residents in the local area to see if they heard or saw anything that night.

"Incidents of this nature will understandably concern the community and I want to assure you that this investigation is a priority of ours and we have a team working round the clock.

"If you think you might have seen something suspicious in the area at the time of the offence, or have any information, I would urge you to contact us."

The attacker is described as wearing dark clothing and a woollen balaclava and was over 6ft tall. Police are conducting door-to-door inquiries and police patrols have been stepped up in the area to reassure members of the local community, Mail Online reported.

Anyone with information can contact police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.