Investigation into alleged sexual assault in Chorley reveals 'unrelated' incidents of indecent exposure

An investigation into an alleged sexual assault in Chorley revealed unreported incidents of indecent exposure in the area.

The victim said she got off the train at the railway station before walking along Lyons Lane South and George Street on Monday.

She proceeded to turn left on to Cunliffe Street and then on to Salisbury Street where she was approached from behind by a man.

The victim said the man pushed her against a wall before assaulting her sometime between 4.30pm and 5pm.

She managed to fight off her attacker following a struggle before running off. Officers said she suffered "minor injuries."

Get the latest headlines, straight to your inbox, with The LEP’s free emails

Detective on Thursday said that they could confirm "no sexual assault took place at the time and place described" following a "thorough investigation."

"We are continuing to support the victim and we are looking into whether the sexual assault could have happened somewhere else and at another time," a spokesman for Lancashire Police added.

However, the force said their investigation had revealed unrelated incidents of indecent exposure that had not been reported to them.

Police said they were keen to hear from anyone who had any information about these incidents so that they could investigate them.

Det Chief Insp Lukmaan Mulla, of South CID, said: "While we continue to investigate the report of this sexual assault it has become clear that there are other offences which have been committed but which haven’t been reported to us.

"Offences like exposure may seem to some to be relatively minor but they can easily escalate into more serious offending, so it’s really important that people come to us with information so that we can investigate and take action to keep our communities safe."