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Police arrest teenager over child sex assault
Scene: The girl told her parents she was assaulted at The Zone in Lancaster
A teenager has been arrested after a four-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at an indoor play area.
The youngster playing at The Zone on Dalton Square in Lancaster on Saturday afternoon when the attack happened. She told her mother and police were contacted.
A 13-year-old boy from Lancaster who was also playing at the centre was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and is currently on police bail, until May 16, pending further enquiries.
Det Insp Phil Jones of Lancaster CID, who is leading the investigation, stressed no-one other children were believed to have been harmed.
Police are appealing for parents of other youngsters who were at The Zone to get in touch with them.
The centre was busy at the time, between 12.30pm and 1.30pm.
Det Insp Jones said: “This is a very sensitive investigation and we are seeking the help of the public.
“I would ask the parents or relatives of any children who were at The Zone on Saturday between 12.30pm and 2pm to contact the police.
“It is a big area with lots of nooks and crannies and different sets of parents having different lines of sight.
“I would like to stress that at this stage, there is no suggestion that any other child has been a victim.
“We do believe this to have been an isolated incident.
“However, we are seeking any witnesses that may have seen something suspicious or out of the ordinary.
“The child reported it to her mother pretty much straight away.
“The young girl and her parents are currently being supported by specially trained officers and The Zone is fully co-operating with our investigation.”
The Zone caters for youngsters aged up to 11, with soft play areas and party facilities for children, toddlers and babys.
The building once housed the Palace Cinema, before it was turned into Brooks Nightclub, which was open for 20 years.
It then became Cuba nightclub, before being converted into a soft play area in December 2001.
A spokesman for The Zone said: “We are deeply shocked at recent events. We do our utmost to provide a safe and secure environment for children to play in with their parents supervision. This incident was totally beyond our control and it could have happened anywhere. I want to reassure our regular customers that this was an isolated incident.”
Det Insp Jones said the firm had been “very supportive” of the investigation.
- Anyone who was at The Zone or who has information should contact Lancashire police on 101, quoting log number LC-20130216-1061, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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Monday 20 May 2013
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