Manchester: teenage boy charged with rape of eight-year-old girl

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with the rape of an eight-year-old girl in a park in Moston on Saturday, Greater Manchester police have said. He will appear in custody at Manchester youth court on Monday.

He was arrested on Saturday evening when police were called to reports that a young girl had been raped in Nuthurst park in New Moston, five miles north-east of the city centre.

Members of the public chased him away but he was arrested shortly afterwards in a shop on Nuthurst Road.

A video circulating online suggests members of the public held the boy in the shop until police arrived. By the time they took him away, with a box over his head, a crowd had gathered, shouting “scum”.

The victim is being supported by specially trained officers.

Inspector Dave Whelan, of GMP’s city of Manchester team, said: “I know this incident has understandably caused a lot of unrest in the local community, particularly among those who were in the nearby area at the time but I want to assure everybody that we have launched a full investigation.

“We treat all reports like this with the utmost seriousness and as such officers swiftly attended the scene and arrested a teenage boy within 16 minutes of the initial call coming in. We would like to thank the local community who assisted in our initial inquiries.

“Local residents may notice an increased police presence in the area, so if you have any information about the incident or concerns that you wish to raise with officers, then I would encourage you to either approach them directly or call police.”

Nuthurst park is a small recreation area near the M60 ringroad in New Moston. It includes a children’s play area aimed at three- to eight-year-olds, a five-a-side football pitch and free tennis courts.