Appeal after another school girl is assaulted in Leighton

Shortly after 8.45am, the school girl was walking along a footpath which runs over the canal between Grovebury Road and Mentmore Gardens and was by the canal bridge when she was approached by the man, who tried to engage her in conversation before assaulting her.

The man is described as white, in his 30s, slim, with black hair and stubble.

He spoke with an English accent, and was wearing a light grey hoodie with the hood up, a black puffa jacket over the top and grey tracksuit bottoms. He was also wearing black fingerless gloves and navy blue trainers.

Det Sgt Thomas Hamm, investigating, said: “It is vital we find out who is responsible for this; although she is now safe and has no injuries, the victim has understandably been left shaken by this encounter.

“If you were in the area at the time and saw this incident or saw a man in the area matching the description, I would urge you to come forward as any information you have could be essential to our investigation.

“In light of this incident we would also reiterate advice to students about being aware of their surroundings when walking to and from school – walk in groups, use well-lit areas and paths and don’t use ear phones while walking.”

It’s not the first concerning incident in the town in recent weeks involving school girls. We reported how warnings had been issued after a teenage girl was walking along Rock Lane, Linslade, at approximately 3.30pm on October 3 when she was approached by a man who touched her in a sexual manner, before getting into a silver VW Polo and driving away.

And a pupil from Linslade Middle School was also approached by people in a white van on September 20 in the Billington Road area.

Similar incidents involving students have also taken place in Luton and Clifton since the start of the school autumn term.

> Anyone with any information on the latest incident is asked to call Det Sgt Hamm on 101 quoting the reference number 65 of October 20. Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.