Girl raped in sea at Bournemouth speaks about horrific ordeal
‘I didn’t ask for this – I tried to stop him but I couldn’t’: Girl, 15, who was raped in the sea in front of thousands of holidaymakers speaks about horrific ordeal for the first time as she says she now can’t face going out
- Girl, 15, was playing in the sea at Bournemouth surrounded by holidaymakers
- She was approached by the man when a ball she was playing with landed by him
- He grabbed her and forced her into deeper water her by pier and raped her
- Victim says incident has left her ‘vulnerable’ and she ‘can’t face going out’
- Dorset Police released e-fit of Asian suspect by name of ‘Dabby’, who is 5ft to 5ft 7ins tall, of muscular build with short dark hair and a part-shaven eyebrow
- Attacker also told the victim that he was 17 years old and from Birmingham
The 15-year-old victim has told how she was forced out into deep water and raped by a man who approached her while she was playing in the sea with friends in Bournemouth. Dorset Police have released this e-fit of the attacker
A 15-year-old girl who was raped in the sea in front of thousands of people has said the horrific ordeal has left her ‘frightened and vulnerable’.
The teenage victim was dragged into deeper water by her attacker after a ball she had been playing with landed close to him.
She said despite there being crowds of people in the sea at the time, she was powerless to act as the young man raped her under the cover of the water.
The traumatised victim said she only escaped her attacker, an Asian man, when one of his friends approached them.
She revealed she ran back to her friends on the beach only for the man to stalk her and ask her how he could contact her.
Police today renewed their appeal for witnesses to the sex attack, that happened close to the west of Bournemouth Pier in Dorset on July 18, to come forward.
They also revealed that the suspect is believed to be called Dabby and has a part-shaven left eyebrow.
In a statement the victim said she had visited the beach with friends on what was the hottest day of the year.
She said: ‘We spent the day chilling out and sun bathing. It was around 4pm when we went into the water where my friends and I had a ball we were playing with.
‘One throw and it landed near next to a man – or a boy. I asked “can you give me the ball back” and he said no.
The victim says the horrific incident has left her ‘frightened and vulnerable’ and she now ‘can’t face going out’
‘I came closer to him and asked again – he gave it to me and I threw it to my friend.
‘He started talking to me and touching my arm – at the same time another man was making my friend uncomfortable so she left the sea.
‘I was alone now and he started to push me out into deep water and I couldn’t feel my feet on the sea floor. It was then he started touching me.
‘No one could see what was happening and it was then that he raped me.’
The girl explained that the man’s friend then approached them and she managed to get back to shore but was followed by her attacker.
In her statement read out on BBC 1’s Crimewatch Live, she said: ‘I was in tears. I told my friend what had happened and I was really hurting so I went to the toilet. Then the guy came up to me again and was asking how to contact me.
‘Eventually my friend made him go away and that was the last I saw of him.
‘Since it happened I’ve changed a lot – I can’t face going out and I feel frightened and vulnerable.
Police today renewed their appeal for witnesses to the sex attack, that happened close to the west of Bournemouth Pier in Dorset on July 18, to come forward (stock photo, Bournemouth beach)
‘I am so scared that people will judge me for what has happened.
‘I didn’t ask for this – I tried to stop him but I couldn’t.’
The rapist is described as having tanned skin, between 5ft and 5ft 7ins and of a thin but muscular build with short dark hair that was pushed back and looked freshly trimmed.
He was wearing black or grey swimming shorts.
Detective Inspector Wayne Seymour, of Dorset Police, said: ‘He had dark hair swept back, an ear ring in his left ear, and his eye brow was slit.
‘He told the victim his name was Dabby, he was 17 years old and from Birmingham.’
Police have disclosed that a number of Asian men approached female beachgoers on the day and exchanged Snapchat messages with them.
DI Seymour added: ‘I am continuing to appeal for anyone with information that might assist our enquiries to please come forward and make contact with us.
‘Even if it is just a seemingly small bit of information, it might assist us with piecing together the evidence in this case and tracking down the culprit.
‘I would repeat our previous plea for anyone who exchanged Snapchat messages with a number of young Asian men who were reported to be approaching female beachgoers on the date of the incident to come forward.
‘We are also again issuing an e-fit image of the suspect that has been produced and would urge anyone who recognises him to please contact us.
‘We do have forensic evidence that means we will be able to eliminate anyone who was not involved from our enquiries.’
He encouraged anyone with information to come forward, assuring them that DNA evidence would be able to identify the culprit.
They hope that one of them will recognise the e-fit and realise they had contact with the suspect.
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