Police in the UK are desperately seeking to calm the public following the rape of a 14-year-old girl in open daylight in northern England on New Year's Day, saying the incident was a rare and isolated one and everything was under control.
The Sky News said in a report on Wednesday that police was searching for a man, believed to be in his 30s or 40s, who had allegedly raped the girl outside a shopping center in Burnley, Lancashire, on New Year's Day.
The assault took place at around 9 am local time at the bottom of steps close to the Charter Walk mall, police said, adding that the public should not be worried at all as it was a rare incident.
“We would like to reassure the public that incidents of this type are rare and we have a number of officers working on the enquiry,” said Detective Inspector Tim McDermott, urging anyone who had any information about the incident to come forward and help the police.
Authorities said the suspect was wearing dark clothing, had a dark curly hair, a tanned complexion and a short beard, before he left the mall in the direction of Church Street.
The victim was being protected by the police and trained officers were giving her support, said McDermott.
Last year was one of the darkest in record in terms of rampant violence in the UK as the number of homicides, many of them result of knife crimes, exceeded a 10-year high in cities like London.
Britons have started the 2019 with news of stabbings in London and a major terror attack, again involving knife crime, in the northern city of Manchester.