Schoolgirl left scared after masked man chased her along street
A SCHOOLGIRL says a man with a covered face chased her and another school pupil while they were on their way to school.
Mercedes Blake, a Year 7 pupil at Farnborough Spencer Academy in Clifton, was approached by the man while walking from the Southchurch Drive tram stop to school.
The man approached the girls near Flower Park in Southchurch Drive at around 8.20am on Thursday, March 7. Nottinghamshire Police say the man reportedly hid behind cars, crossed the road when the girls did, and ran when they did.
Simone Blake, Mercedes’ mum, said that because of the incident, she will not let her daughter walk to and from school any more. The 37-year-old said: “She used to come back from school wearing her school uniform. She’s now got into a habit of changing into tracksuit bottoms and a jogging top, just really baggy clothes. She always covers herself up and she doesn’t go out any more.
“She won’t even go to the shop. We drop her off and pick her up from school. If that man approached me, I’d start running as well.”
Police are now appealing for information. Officers arrived on scene within minutes of the report and searched the area but there was no trace of the man. He is described as white and aged in his 30s. He was wearing blue jeans, grey trainers, and a blue hooded jacket with red on the inside.
Superintendent Chris Pearson, of
Nottinghamshire Police, said: “The girls were not spoken to by the man and were not harmed but they were left shaken by what happened. They managed to leave the scene on foot to a place of safety.
“Neighbourhood and response officers are aware of this incident and patrols have been increased in the area to provide reassurance while we continue with our inquiries into this incident. While we have not received any further reports of a similar nature since this report, we treat these types of incidents seriously and I’d encourage anyone with concerns or information to speak to our officers when they see them.
“As part of our ongoing inquiries we have released an image of a man we want to identify and speak to in connection with this incident. We appreciate the image is blurry and the man’s face is covered, however we are appealing for anyone who may recognise him from his distinctive clothing to please come forward with any information they have to help us identify him.
“Similarly, officers would like to speak with anyone who witnessed the incident or who may have dashcam or CCTV footage of what happened. Our inquiries remain ongoing. If you have any information please contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident 142 of March 7, 2024, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
According to an email seen by the Post that was sent by Farnborough Spencer Academy to Ms Blake on March 7, the school was alerted to the stranger approaching the students while walking to school. The email added that “several staff” were out in the community during the morning, as well as at the end of the day.