Two “brave” nine-year-old girls bit and kicked a stranger who tried to abduct them from a residential street in Melbourne’s south-west earlier this month.
Detective Mat Evans, from the Footscray Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation team, said the friends were playing at a park on the corner of Oxford and Newcastle streets in Newport on May 20, when a man pulled up on the wrong side of the road in a black car just after 1.40pm.
He started talking to the girls before getting out of the car and grabbing one of them by her T-shirt and started dragging her towards his car.
“The other girl ran up to the man and kicked him from behind and the girl he had hold of bit him on the finger,” Detective Senior Constable Evans said.
The girls broke free and got on their scooter and bicycle and fled to one of their homes nearby, he said.
A parent then rang police.
Detective Senior Constable Evans said the girls were extremely brave.
“The girls are fine. They’re very resilient, it’s more the parents in these situations who are often more emotional,” he said.
The families have been offered counselling.
Police are calling on the public to help them catch the man and said there were no similar crimes in the past that matched the description of the Newport attacker.
“It’s disturbing, and we’re hoping the community can help us out by identifying this person,” he said.
The man – caucasian and aged in his 20s or 30s – had a distinctive long blond goatee beard down to his chest.
“We appeal to people to have a look at the composite we have of him and ring Crime Stoppers if they recognise him or believe they know someone who has these features and has access to a black car,” Detective Senior Constable Evans said.
He said the incident was a reminder for parents talk to their children about stranger danger and what they need to do if approached.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report to www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
