THE furious dad of a 12-year-old girl who was allegedly grabbed by a man who then tried to kiss her has praised a passer-by who came to the youngster's aid.

The youngster was out with her friends last night, Thursday, when they walked down the cut through from Brunswick Avenue, Parr.

Her dad, 33, explained: “She’d been out with her friends and cut through the alley when a man dressed all in black and staggering about like he was drunk was walking in the other direction carrying a bottle.

“They felt nervous so they laughed and he apparently said to them ‘what are you laughing at?’ before grabbing my daughter by the arm and her friends ran off.

“She said he tried to kiss her and kept saying ‘give me a kiss or a hug’ and she was scared and struggling to get away.

“Luckily, she said another man came into the entry and shouted at her ‘Are you with this man? how old are you love?’ and she said no and that she is 12, and then he told him to get off her saying ‘get off her she’s only a kid’.

“The man did let her go and she ran straight home and she’s been in a state ever since.”

Incident reported to police

The dad reported the incident to police and the girl's mum posted about the incident on social media in a bid to find and thank the man who came to their daughter’s aid.

The dad added that the cousin of the man who intervened has since been in touch to give them the passer-by's details.

The dad added: “I was furious when she got back and went in my car looking for the man who hurt her, but I can’t explain how grateful we will always be to him.

“We’ve chatted with him on the phone and he’s been really good about it.

“Without him it could have been much worse.

“He didn’t have to stop but he did. Even though my daughter is crying on and off and scared, she’s going to be alright and that’s thanks to him.”

Police confirmed they are appealing for information following the alleged incident.

At about 8.15pm, it was reported that a man had approached a 12-year-old girl on a pathway between Brunswick Street and Mount Pleasant Avenue.

Police say it was reported that the man tried to pull the child towards him before a member of the public intervened and the suspect fled the scene.

Officers, who say they are in the early stages of an investigation, are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

The suspect has been described as white, of slim build and was wearing a hat, glasses and carrying a black rucksack.

Police have also asked for the member of the public who intervened to come forward as a potential witness to help the investigation.

Detective Inspector James Rotheram said: “This would have been a traumatic incident for the young girl and we are supporting her as we continue our investigation.

Appeal for information

“We are appealing for anyone with information to come forward so we can find the man responsible.

“If you live in the area and have CCTV or smart doorbell footage, please check to see if you captured anything suspicious.”

Enquiries into the incident remain ongoing and anyone with any information, including CCTV footage, is asked to contact @MerPolCC on Twitter, ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook or call 101 quoting incident reference 23000270779.

Get the latest St Helens stories sent to your inbox here