Doncaster park sealed off by police as hunt for man who attacked teenage girl goes on

Elmfield Park was the focus of heavy police activity throughout yesterday following the attack on the 17-year-old yesterday morning.

She was grabbed from behind and pushed to the ground by the man shortly before 10am but managed to fight off her attacker.

Police cordoned off a large area of the park, with the gardens in front of Elmfield House sealed off throughout yesterday.

A number of officers guarded the scene with a high visibility police presence outside the entrance to the park in Bennetthorpe.

Police were called at 9.41am and a large-scale investigation is underway to identify and locate the offender, with significant resources deployed to the area.

The offender has been described as white, in his mid 20’s and around 5ft 11 inches tall. He was wearing a black face mask, black hoodie and bottoms and dark blue gloves. The victim described the suspect has having a ‘strong’ accent.

Superintendent Simon Wanless said: “I know this incident will be extremely distressing and concerning to the local community, I would like to reassure you that we are taking every step possible to identify the individual involved.

“We have deployed extensive resources and the park is currently closed to the public whilst we carry out our enquiries.

“You will see a heightened police presence throughout this afternoon and into the evening, please go and speak to officers if you have any concerns, they are there to help.

“The victim is being supported by specially trained detectives.

“I would like to urge anyone who was in the area prior to or during the time the incident is alleged to have taken place, to contact us immediately.

“If you saw anything concerning or suspicious this morning, please get in touch as you could make all the difference to our investigation.”

The incident number you need to quote is 228 of 14 July. You can call 101, or submit a report online using our online reporting portal.