PARENTS WARNING: White van man tries to lure boy, 11, before taking photos of him
A HORRIFIED father has warned parents a stranger tried to lure the dad’s 11-year-old son into a van, before taking a photograph of the boy.
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Humberside Police has issued an appeal for information on the driver of the white van following the incident at the junction of New Haven Terrace and Stortford Street, in Grimsby, at around 6pm on Monday.
The man in the white van approached the boy as he was playing football with his friends. The driver tried to get the boys to come to his vehicle.
Some quickly ran off but the stranger kept pestering the 11-year-old to get into the vehicle. When he refused, the boy told police the man took out his phone and took a picture of him before driving off.
The van had been driving down New Haven Terrace towards Corporation Road.
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The dad has now spoken out in an effort to help find the man, as he is concerned he might try and find his son again after taking the photograph.
He said: "We are very concerned about what has happened. This man has tried to get my son into his van, and when he refused, he took a picture of him on his phone.
"Somebody must have seen the man in the area, and he needs to be found, as we don't know what he might do now that he has my son's picture.
"The boys were just playing football at the time with his friends, and it could have happened to any youngsters who were out playing at the time.
Somebody must have seen the man in the area, and he needs to be found, as we don't know what he might do now that he has my son's picture
"It has got us very worried, and we don't want him going too far away from the house now so that we can keep a watch over him and make sure he is alright, and he has been quite shaken by it all."
The incident also follows reports that another man had been responsible for six sex attacks on teenage girls walking in Grimsby and Cleethorpes. Those incidents are also being investigated by police.
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Police have said that they want to speak with the driver of the white van, which possibly had a yellow and black sticker on the side.
A Humberside Police spokesperson said: "We’d like to speak with a man in connection with a report of suspicious circumstances on Corporation Road in Grimsby around 6pm on 5 March 2018.
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"A boy reported to officers that a man had asked him to get in his vehicle. The boy said when he refused the man took a picture of him.
"We want this individual to contact us so we can speak to him about the incident. There’s little description of him apart from he was in a small white van, possibly with a yellow and black sticker on the side.
"If anyone has any information regarding the incident they are being asked to call us on non-emergency number 101, quoting log number 502 of 05/03/18."