Police investigate attempted abduction of boy, 9, in Fleetwood

The nine-year-old was walking down Blakiston Street towards the junction of North Albion Street on Thursday at around 7:30pm.

It was then that he was grabbed by the arm, where he was attempted to be pulled away from the location by an unknown man. The child was able to break free of the man’s grip, and the man left the scene.

The man is described as a white man of a muscular build, with tanned skin, between 5ft 7in and 5ft 10in with black hair and a black bushy beard. He was said to be wearing a black snood-like face covering, with a black, long-sleeved tracksuit top and black tracksuit shorts. He had an Eastern European accent.

DI Steven Montgomery said: “This is a concerning incident where the boy was thankfully able to free himself from the man’s grip.

"Enquiries are ongoing to identify the man described as soon as possible. These incidents are rare, but we have increased reassurance patrols in the area as a precaution. If you have any CCTV or dashcam from yesterday evening (July 6), at around 7:30pm or if you have any information in relation to the attempted abduction, or the man described above, I would urge you to get in contact with us.”

Any information can be reported to 101, quoting the log 1413 of July 6, 2023.