Man held after girl, 3, dropped from bridge

Terrified toddler pulled from river as pair fall 30ft

after the drama in Bolton, Gtr Manchester, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Some locals claimed the child’s mother died several months ago and the man had been suffering from ill health, mental health issues and depression.

Joiner Stephen Lomax was in the nearby Cineworld car park and heard the commotion on Friday night.

He said: “I heard shouts and

screaming. The man had a deep growl. The little girl must have been terrified.”

Mr Lomax said he later heard the man asking if the girl was “okay”.

Police said specially-trained negotiators had tried to talk to the man.

A spokesman said: “Unfortunately the man would not speak to officers and dropped the child into the water, which was approximately 30ft below.

“An officer was already in the river and was able to reach the child. The man then fell into the water. Again, he was taken out and taken to hospital.”

Supt Paul Savill added: “Thankfully the little girl will recover from her physical injuries, but the trauma she was put through is heartbreaking. My thoughts are with her and her family.

“We have a specialist team of negotiators who always try their utmost to resolve these situations without injury and get people the support they need.

“Sadly, the man failed to engage. However, we had a second team waiting in the water to rescue the child.

“We will now ensure the girl and her family have support going forward, to help her make a full recovery.”

Greater Manchester Police has referred the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

phil.cardy@trinitymirror.com