Buckshaw Village man arrested after teenage girl sexually assaulted in Darwen

The attack happened in Darwen shortly after midnight on Sunday (June 25) when the girl was walking along Bolton Road, close to Ashton Park.

A man grabbed her from behind and sexually assaulted her. She managed to fight him off and the suspect ran away in the direction of Darwen town centre.

A 39-year-old man from Buckshaw Village has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and failing to provide a breath test.

He remains in custody at this time.

Detectives are continuing to appeal for witnesses and are asking motorists to check their dashcam footage to see if they captured a teenage girl wearing a black and white dress walking along Bolton Road, near to The Spinners pub, around midnight.

DS Sarah Tucker, of East CID, said: “This was an appalling offence committed against a teenage girl. This must have been a terrifying experience for her and she is being supported by officers.

"Although we have made an arrest our enquiries are very much ongoing.

"I would ask any witnesses or anybody who has any form of footage covering the Bolton Road area, particularly close to The Spinners, to please check to see if they have captured anything which could assist our enquiries.

"Incidents like this are rare but I know it will cause some concern in the community. I want to reassure residents that we have a dedicated team of officers assigned to this case and we have increased patrols in the area as a precaution.”

Anyone with information is asked to email [email protected] or call 101, quoting log 44 of June 25, 2023.