Man arrested after girl was sexually assaulted as she walked through Yorkshire village

However, Humberside Police is appealing to the public for any witnesses to the incident, which happened in Park Lane in Cottingham at around 9.30pm on April 22. Two girls were walking down the street when a man approached them and sexually assaulted one of the girls. An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, and has been released on bail as investigations continue.

The force is now hoping to track down a witness who is thought to have come to the aid of the girls, and confronted the suspect.

A statement from Humberside Police said: “We continue to follow up on lines of enquiries and we are particularly keen to locate a man who is believed to have come to the aid of the girls and confronted the suspect.

"The witness is described as approximately 5ft 7in tall and is thought to be in his late-20s to early-30s. He is believed to have been wearing dark blue trousers, a black coat with blue patterns and a brown beanie hat whilst carrying a black backpack. He is also described as having a brown coloured beard.

"We believe he may be able to assist our enquiries and urge him to come forward.”

Detective Sergeant Tracy St Paul added: “I want to offer my assurance that whilst incidents of this nature remain incredibly rare in our area, we hope news of this arrest will assure the community that we are treating it as a priority. The girl has understandably been left shaken because of the incident and she is currently being supported by specialist trained officers.

“We are currently exploring all lines of enquiry available to establish the full circumstances and officers will be carrying out enquiries in the local area. If you see one of our officers and have any concerns, I encourage you to speak to them.”

Anyone with information about the incident or the witness is asked to contact police on 101, quoting incident number 674 of April 22. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.