A 12-year-old girl getting off a bus in a village near Hitchin was kicked down the steps by a grown man – and police are now appealing for witnesses.
The incident happened in St Paul’s Walden on Monday between 4.30pm and 5.05pm, as a 304 bus bound for St Albans pulled up to the stop at the Strathmore Arms pub on Whitwell Road.
As the 12-year-old girl rose to get off the bus, a man thought to be in his 40s kicked her in the back, causing her to fall down the steps. She was not injured.
The offender is described as a black man of thin build, wearing a black zip-up fleece and a hat covering long hair. He had boarded the bus outside Claire’s Accessories in Hitchin’s Bancroft.
PC Ellie Reeve, who is investigating, said: “I would appeal to anyone who saw what happened or who saw this man leave the bus, which was headed for St Albans, to please contact me.
“I would also like to hear from anyone who may have seen the man in Hitchin prior to 4.30pm, or anyone who may know the identity of the man.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting crime reference G1/16/1825.
Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or use their anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.
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