Three witnesses sought after walking trail attack

Three witnesses to an attack on a teenage girl on a Devon walking trail are being urged to come forward.

Devon and Cornwall Police said they received reports of a man trying to pull the woman towards bushes on the Tarka Trail at about 17:00 BST on Wednesday.

The force said it was looking for two men and a woman who were seen in the area.

It said one man believed to be in his late-50s or early-60s was seen riding a black bike, a woman was seen cycling towards Bideford and another man in his 50s or 60s with circular glasses and straight brown hair was seen speaking to people in the area at the time.

Det Insp Emma Lefort, investigation lead, said people would see a "heightened police presence" in the area as investigations continue.

She said: "I would like to appeal to these individuals to come forward as we believe they may have witnessed the incident or may have seen a man in a white top, interacting with or walking with a teenage girl, on or around the Iron Bridge at around 16:30-17:00.

"We would also like to hear from anyone who may have seen the suspect walking along the Tarka Trail from either direction."

The suspect is described by police as a white male who was aged approximately 30-40 years old with messy, short dark blond hair, wrinkly dirty skin, distinctly perfect white teeth, short chubby fingers and pronounced drawn-down cheekbones.

He was reported to be wearing black work trousers and a plain white top at the time of the incident.

Police said he then put on a plain white-sleeved jumper with a hood, left the scene and headed towards Bideford.

A man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was released on bail pending further inquiries, said the force.

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