Male in custody following attempted abduction

A man has been arrested after an attempted abuction of an 8-year-old girl in Brighton city centre at the weekend. 

A CCTV image of the suspect - the man is described as white, aged in his twenties, between 5ft 6in and 5ft 8in, slim with dark hair and was wearing jeans and beige jacket. 

The incident happened at around 8.25am on Saturday 5th of May. The young girl was on her way back home via Gloucester Road after a short walk to post a letter on nearby North Road. Just as she turned into Tidy Street a male ran up to her and, as he tried to grab hold of her, he pushed her to the ground. The incident was witnessed by two passers-by who shouted at him and he ran off in the direction of Trafalgar Street. 

The girl was severley shocked and sustained some grazes but did not need hospital treatment. 

Detective Inspector Lee Horner said: "A man has been arrested and is assisting us with our enquiries. If you were in the area on Saturday morning and saw anything of what happened, or if you have any other information, contact us immediately on 101 or online quoting Operation Overdown."