Sexual assault – St Catherines and Manby Street, Lincoln

Appeal for information

We are investigating a report that a teenager was assaulted as she walked home around 10.35pm on Saturday 12 February. As the victim walked along St Catherines, near to the South Park Roundabout, she became aware of a man behind her who lifted up her skirt. The man ran off towards the High Street. The victim later saw the man again on Manby Street. This time he was on a push bike and as he rode passed, he slapped her on her bottom. This happened around 11pm.

The man is described as wearing a black coat with grey joggers and has short light hair. On the first incident it is believed he had a balaclava on, which had been removed by the second incident.

We are asking for anyone who was in the area, who may have seen the incident, or the man described to get in touch. We urge anyone who may have driven or cycled along Newark Road, St Catherines and onto the High Street between 10.30pm and 11pm on Saturday 12 Feb to check any video footage they may have recorded, dashcam or Go Pro’s etc.

In October last year we investigated reports of a man riding a bike, and slapping women on their bottom, in Lincoln. We can confirm this incident is not connected to those reports.

We’re grateful to the victim for coming forward and telling us about these incidents. It is completely unacceptable and we will be doing all we can to investigate.  We appreciate that this may cause some concern in the community, so it’s vital that anyone with information gets in contact with us to help our enquiries. The safety of women and girls is paramount.

If you think you may have information that will assist our investigation then please get in touch. There are a number of ways to do this:

• By clicking on the email link [email protected] - please remember to put the reference incident 429 of 12/2 in the subject box.
• Via our non-emergency number 101, quoting incident 429 of 12/2.
• Through the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
• If you’ve been the victim of crime, support is available, whether you have reported the crime to the police or not. Victim Lincs provide free, confidential advice and guidance, as well as access to specialist emotional support services. Visit victimlincs.co.uk or call 01522 947510 Monday – Friday 8am – 4pm.

Reference: Incident 429 of 12 February