Invercargill police have released more details about a sexual assault on a schoolgirl in the city on a Monday morning last month.
Detectives say the intermediate school pupil was grabbed from behind as she was walking in broad daylight along Iona St between 8am and 8:30am on February 4.
"She was minding her own business when she was grabbed from behind, dragged into the nearby Iona St playground and sexually assaulted," said Det Aarron Dempsey.
"This was a terrifying ordeal and when the attacker became distracted, this young victim seized the chance to run away."
Police say they've had reports of a person in a black hoodie sitting near the playground on the morning she was attacked, and they want to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious.
"We've also heard from a member of the public who a few weeks before the assault, saw a group of young girls talking with a person matching the description of the offender. The driver got out of her car and moved the girls along," said Dempsey.
"We'd like to hear from that group of girls too as they may have very important information."
Newshub.
