Teenage girl raped while walking her dog in Manchester park

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Detectives are appealing for information after a 17-year-old girl was raped while walking her dog in a park in Manchester.

The teenager was approached by two men at Boggart Hole Clough park in Blackley, in the north of the city, at about 9.30pm on Sunday.

Police said one of the men snatched her dog while the second pushed her to the ground and raped her.

The girl managed to take back the dog and run from the scene, Greater Manchester police (GMP) said. She then alerted two other women, who called the police.

DI Louise Edwards, of GMP’s City of Manchester division, said: “We understand the distress that incidents such as this can cause for the community, and I want to reassure the public that we have launched a full investigation to establish the full circumstances of what happened, and ensure the people responsible for this horrendous act are identified.

“We are carefully examining the scene, and will increase our police presence in the area, so if anyone has any concerns they can approach our officers directly.

“I want to also appeal to anyone who may have been walking in the area at the time, to come forward and speak with police. Any information, no matter how small, could be vital to our investigation.”

One of the suspects was described as a black male with braided hair, aged between 20 and 30, and about 5ft 8in tall. Police said he spoke with “an African accent”, and was wearing a dark-coloured puffer jacket with royal blue sleeves, dark jeans with a belt, and dark trainers with bubbles in the soles.

The second suspect is a white man, aged between 20 and 30, bald with a short beard. He had a Manchester accent and was wearing a white long-sleeved T-shirt with a V-neck, dark-coloured jeans, and white trainers.

Anyone with information was asked to contact police on 0161 856 1146 or via the force’s live web chat quoting incident 3089 of 22/08/21. Details can also be given anonymously via the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.