A 13-year-old girl was subjected to a serious sexual assault in a park, police said today.
Her attacker struck in Meadowbank Park in Magherafelt, Co Derry, at about 9 p.m. yesterday.
The man, who had braces on his teeth, pulled the teenager behind a pavilion and threatened her before the sexual assault took place. He then ran off, enabling the girl to raise the alarm.
She was left "extremely traumatised" by the attack, police said. Detectives in Magherafelt made an urgent appeal to the public today for help to catch the culprit.
A police spokesman said that a large amount of people were in the park at the time of the attack. "We would like anybody who was in the park at the time of the incident to contact police," she said.
The culprit is described as in his mid-20s, 5ft 6in tall, plump, with dark spiky hair and pale skin. He wore dark clothes and spoke with a local accent.
Local SDLP councillor Mr Joe Mc Bride said it was "imperative that an attack which took place in broad daylight and and in a relatively open and busy thoroughfare can elicit a speedy response from probable witnesses."
"Whoever carried out this brutal assault is most likely to repeat his actions so it is crucial that he is apprehended as quickly as possible," he added.