Worthing girl, 12, raped in woods

The girl had been in contact with a young man who said he was 18, in early June, through two phone apps – Whisper and Kik.

They first met at about 3pm on Friday, June 5, when he picked her up from outside Goring railway station in a silver/grey Fiat Punto. They drove to the car park at the end of Angmering High Street, opposite Manor Nurseries, where they parked and kissed for a while. He then dropped her off back in Worthing.

Two days later, at about midday, they met outside Tesco Express in Rectory Road, Worthing, and drove to the same place in Angmering. Police said from there they walked south down a track parallel to the A280 and alongside Manor Nurseries to a wooded area, where they had sex, stopping when they saw some dog walkers nearby.

Detective Constable Lee Simmonds said: “This is a clear case of a naive, vulnerable and trusting 12-year-old girl being groomed online by a manipulative older man, whose exact age is not yet clear.

“He is described as white, aged about 18, about 6ft 1 in and of slim build, with short black hair in a quiff.

“Do you recall seeing them or the car at any point in Worthing or Angmering on those days? If you did, please contact us via [email protected] call us on 101, quoting serial 1356 of 25/06.

“This case is another example of what can result from unwary and unsupervised use of the web by young people who need to be really careful in their contacts with people they do not know.”

The incidents were not reported to the police until June 25.

Parents and young people can get advice about cyber crime via www.sussex.police.uk/policing-in-sussex/your-community/crime-prevention-advice/computers-and-internet

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