Detectives in Lancashire are appealing for the public’s help to identify a man captured on CCTV who is suspected of sexually assaulting three teenage girls inside a busy shopping centre in broad daylight.
The alleged incident took place at Blackburn Mall on Friday afternoon, 20 March, at around 3.20pm. According to Blackburn and Darwen Police, the man walked past a group of teenagers and grabbed them inappropriately before fleeing the premises after shopping centre security was alerted.
Officers have now released a still image from the centre’s CCTV system in the hope that members of the public will be able to identify the individual. The suspect is described as a white male, believed to be around 60 years of age, with dark hair. He is short in stature but of large build, and was wearing a black T-shirt at the time of the alleged assault. He is also described as carrying a black carrier bag in one hand and a white carrier bag in the other, and was wearing distinctive purple-tinted sunglasses — a detail officers hope may help jog public memory.
In a statement released on Saturday, the force confirmed that enquiries are ongoing and stressed the urgency of tracing the man. “The victims, all teenagers, were in Blackburn Mall yesterday afternoon at about 3.20pm when a man walked past and assaulted them by grabbing them inappropriately,” police said. “He made off after the shopping centre security were contacted.”
Anyone who recognises the man shown in the CCTV image, or who has any information that could assist the investigation, is asked to contact Lancashire Police by calling 101 and quoting log number 1060 of 20 March.
