Police link two sex attacks in a week at Cannock nature reserve
Police are linking two sexual assaults which were carried out four days apart at a Cannock nature reserve.
In the first, a woman was approached and grabbed by an unknown male at the nature reserve near Hemlock Way and Hill Street in Cannock, last Sunday.
She was not harmed and the suspect ran off.
Most recently, at the same nature reserve on Wednesday, a girl in her teens was grabbed by an unknown male. She managed to get to a place of safety and was left shaken by the ordeal.
Police say they carried out a thorough search of the area once this incident was reported.
A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police said: "We believe the suspect may be linked to both incidents. He is described as mixed heritage, in his late teens to early 20s, of a slim build with his hair in braids to his ears.
"Officers are continuing to support the victims and are carrying out a number of enquiries locally in the area.
"We want to reassure the community that incidents like this are rare, however, when they are reported to us we take them very seriously. Local officers together with specialist investigators have and will continue to have an increased presence in the area.
"We’re keen to speak to anyone with any information which could help us with our investigation. We think the suspect may have ran past two other boys who were in the area at the time on Wednesday and we’d like to speak to them to find out more."
Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting incident 534 of 13 September, or message officers using Live Chat at staffordshire.police.uk
Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org
On Saturday evening Cannock Police tweeted: "Officers have today carried out a number of high-visibility patrols in around the area of Heath Hayes and Wimblebury. This is in response to the recent incidents in Heath Hayes that have caused concern within the community.
