Horror as schoolgirl, 13, is dragged into woods and sexually assaulted by boy – with urgent hunt launched for attacker

Police.uk has offered advice on how to eport rape, sexual assault or other sexual offences. It says:

Reporting rape, sexual assault or another sexual crime like indecent exposure or upskirting can be daunting.

We’re here to support you whether you’re ready to report it to us or if you’d prefer to talk to someone else.

If you want to talk it through before deciding whether to report to us, you can talk to a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor service (ISVA) or another support service.

Support organisations for rape and sexual assault

If you’re not sure if you’re ready to report it, we have put together some information that might help you decide whether reporting is right for you.

If you want to report it but not directly to the police

If you want to report something to us but don’t want to talk directly to us, some support organisations can make a report on your behalf.

They don’t have to give us your details, you can ask the organisation not to tell us who you are. We can get more information from you by asking the support organisation to ask you questions on our behalf.

Support organisations for rape and sexual assault

Reporting anonymously

You can tell us something without telling us who you are or giving us your details.

These reports can help us stop people committing crimes in future.

If you don’t give us your details we may not be able to fully investigate, because we can’t get back in touch with you to ask you more. But you can always give us your details later on if you change your mind.

If you don’t give us your details we’ll only try to contact you if we think you or someone else is in danger.

You can also report a crime anonymously via the Crimestoppers website or by calling them on 0800 555 111.