Teenager, 16, charged with rape of girl, 8, in Manchester park

A 16-year-old boy accused of raping an eight-year-old girl in a park in Manchester will appear in court today.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is alleged to have attacked the girl in Nuthurst Park on Saturday evening.

Members of the public are believed to have chased him into a shop on Nuthurst Road, in the Moston area of the city, where they held him until police arrived.

According to a video that has been circulating online, a crowd had gathered shouting “scum” as the boy was led away with his head covered by police.

“We are aware of a lot of local speculation regarding the investigation and we would ask that this please stops to allow the investigation and legal process to continue without prejudice,” a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said.

Inspector Dave Whelan added: “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 earlier today.

“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.”

The teenager will appear in custody at Manchester Youth Court today.