Four men arrested over ‘attempted abduction’ of five young girls

A brave passerby intervened to help two nine-year-old girls cycle to safety after they were allegedly approached by four men outside a village shop.

Four men were arrested following reports of two separate approaches in the Scalby Lane area of Gilberdyke at around 7.30pm on Wednesday 26 June.

A Humberside Police spokesperson said: “We were called with reports that men in a vehicle had approached three young girls and asked them to get in the vehicle. One of the girls called her parents who came to collect the children.

“We then had a further call from a different person reporting that a group of men had been behaving suspiciously towards two nine-year-old girls outside a shop. A passerby intervened and the girls were able to leave safely.”

Detectives arrested four men, aged 39, 39, 31 and 30, on suspicion of attempted child abduction a short time later.

These men were later released on conditional bail, police said.

One of the 39-year-old men was also arrested on suspicion of assault in a separate incident.

Detective inspector Samantha Chester said: “I understand incidents of this nature will cause alarm amongst the local community, and I would like to offer my reassurance that we always treat this type of report incredibly seriously.

“I’d like to thank the member of the public who intervened when they spotted the men acting suspiciously towards the girls, allowing them to leave the area safely on their bikes as well as the parents who called it in to us.

“The four men have since been released on conditional bail whilst detectives continue exploring extensive lines of enquiry.

“I would appeal to anyone with information that may assist with our enquiries, or has dashcam or CCTV footage from the area around the time the incidents occurred, to please contact us on our non-emergency number 101 quoting crime reference 24*89645.”