logo
Manhunt launched after girl 'forced into Audi near school': Police release details of 'attempted kidnapper'

Manhunt launched after girl 'forced into Audi near school': Police release details of 'attempted kidnapper'

Daily Mail​6 days ago
A young girl was forced into a car near a secondary school as police launch a manhunt for the driver.
The girl managed to escape after being bundled into a grey Audi close to Mark Hall Academy in Essex between 3pm and 3.45pm on Friday, July 4.
She was initially driven away from First Avenue, Harlow, but was able to free herself from the vehicle and find help.
The driver of the car has been described by police as a man with gingery brown hair and wearing a black Nike tracksuit.
An investigation has been launched into the incident with officers looking to trace the driver and the vehicle.
The force added they are safeguarding the girl and supporting her and her family.
Detective Inspector Clare Lawrence of Essex Police said: 'I know this incident has caused concern within the community.
'Incidents like this are actually really rare but we know it can be worrying to see, hear, and read about the details.
'My team is working hard to identify the vehicle and the people involved.
'We're also safeguarding the girl and supporting her and her family.
'I believe there will have been a number of people in the area at the time this incident happened and think someone will have seen something that will help our investigation.
'If that's you, I need you to come forward.'
A police statement said: 'If you have any information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage in relation to this incident, then please get in contact with us.
'Please quote the crime reference number 42/93677/25.
'You can let us know by submitting a report on our website or by using our online Live Chat service which is available 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

O2 decided my phone order was fraud and shut my account
O2 decided my phone order was fraud and shut my account

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • The Guardian

O2 decided my phone order was fraud and shut my account

I placed an order for a new phone with O2, with which I have had an account since 2003. After the handset was dispatched, a text from O2 told me it was thought to be a fraudulent order, the package was recalled mid-transit and my account was locked. It took four days for O2 to confirm that my account would be reinstated once the handset was received. A week after the cancelled delivery, I was informed by O2 that I had requested a change of number, and my phone line promptly stopped working. Its response to my complaint was to open a fraud ticket. More days passed without word. I was told my complaint couldn't be escalated because I don't have an O2 account. My nephew is in hospital, and I am a carer for my father and am no longer able to talk to them on the phone, or help manage my father's needs. I am also losing access to things that rely on two-step verification. Ironically, I've received several emails during this time asking how I was enjoying my new phone. LE, London O2 managed to pick up the phone to you the day I battered down the brick wall with which it seems to repel customers. It was another 11 days before it reconnected you to your phone number with a new sim card and offered you £100 in goodwill. Considering you were left for three weeks without a service, and spent an estimated six hours chasing O2, this strikes both of us as pretty stingy. It has now reprocessed your order for the new phone. It says: 'While the order was correctly stopped after our systems detected potentially fraudulent activity, we accept that there were failings in our handling of this case after the customer confirmed to us that her order was legitimate. 'We have now sent LE a new sim and her account has been reconnected.' KH of London had the opposite problem with her provider, Three. It informed her 18 months ago that she had signed a new phone contract. Only she hadn't, and she duly notified Three, which, she says, decided she had been a victim of ID fraud and promised to close down the new account. Precisely a year later she received a default notice for a £1,461 debt for the phone she hadn't ordered. Three told her not to worry; the transaction in her name had been marked as fraudulent. In a subsequent letter, however, it claimed she had ordered the phone and was liable for the debt. The company eventually established that no handset had been dispatched, and that she owed nothing, but told her it had been unable to contact her. KH believes it was using the email address provided by the fraudster. Four months passed and she finally received an apology for the saga and was assured, in writing, that the matter was closed. Hot on the heels of this came a letter demanding that she pay up, and thus the carousel that is Three's customer service resumed whirling. Its responses to me were similarly dizzying. This time, in answer to me, it insisted KH had taken out the contract herself, and then cancelled it within the cooling-off period when the phone failed to arrive. Bizarrely, it also claimed that she then returned the device that had failed to arrive, whereupon the account was closed. It then declared that KH reported the closed account as fraudulent five weeks later. The debt collection letter was an 'administration error', it said breezily, because it had forgotten to inform its debt collection agency that she did not owe anything. None of this makes sense to you or me. If you had ordered it, and had successfully cancelled it, why would you later claim it was fraud? If you cancelled it because the phone failed to arrive, how did you manage to return it? The good news is, the debt hounds have been called off and you've been paid £200 in goodwill. Now and then I like to applaud a company whose customer service surpasses expectation. DC of Malmesbury nominates Halfords: 'My Halfords pressure washer, bought online, lost pressure four months out of warranty. I asked the Halfords store in Swindon if it could advise whether it was repairable. Instead, the assistant disappeared and returned with a brand new replacement complete with a two-year warranty.'

Nansledan residents urge safety upgrades on 'rat run' road
Nansledan residents urge safety upgrades on 'rat run' road

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

Nansledan residents urge safety upgrades on 'rat run' road

A new road in Newquay is being branded "an accident waiting to happen" by residents of a Duchy of Cornwall "Newquay strategic route" linking the south and east of the town opened in May, going through Nansledan along a previously dead-end road with no pedestrian who have launched a petition calling for urgent safety improvements, said the A3059 had become a rat run and there had been plenty of near misses duchy and Cornwall Council said they were monitoring traffic, speed and safety and would consider measures if surveys raise concerns. Jake Martin, 25, who lives with his partner and two-year-old daughter in Nansledan, said recently they were "inches away from a terrible accident" when one driver overtook at speed another who had stopped to let them cross."My daughter's life was at risk at that moment and if I had pushed her out in her pram just a little bit further into the road who knows what it could have been," he Barrett, 80, said the road had "suddenly become like the British Grand Prix" despite the 30mph (48.2km/h) speed limit."It's outrageous the speed I see vehicles going through here now, it happens daily and in the evenings until two or three in the morning," he Victor Williams, 62, said it had "become a bit of a free for all" and more enforcement was needed. More than 600 residents have signed the petition started by resident Jo Ingram demanding urgent action."We got about 12 near-misses and we thought enough is enough," the 33-year-old mother of two said."There doesn't really seem to be any urgency or action, which would be fine if it was a smaller issue, but this really feels like we're waiting for an accident to happen and we're really trying to push for change before there is something serious."Janice Swanson, who has lived in Nansledan since 2019, said the road had become much busier but businesses were suffering as traffic was now passing through and were unable to stop."We need a 20mph limit along this stretch and ideally not have double lines," she said."We definitely need proper pedestrian crossings," she said. Surveys taking place Cornwall Council said it was working with the duchy to monitor traffic levels and pedestrian said it would consider additional measures if surveys raise any concerns."The new road's 30mph limit is in line with similar A roads on the surrounding road network," it said."Nansledan's main roads have been designed to naturally encourage lower speeds and create a walkable, safe and pleasant neighbourhood without the need for more formal engineering features."A spokesman for the duchy said: "All main roads in Nansledan undergo a full technical assessment and road safety audit by Cornwall Council, which is the local highways authority. "This has been the case throughout the development, including the route in question. "We will continue to work alongside the council to monitor traffic and pedestrian safety in the area and to consider any further measures where needed."

South African president suspends police minister accused of colluding with criminal syndicates
South African president suspends police minister accused of colluding with criminal syndicates

The Independent

timean hour ago

  • The Independent

South African president suspends police minister accused of colluding with criminal syndicates

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday suspended the country's police minister and announced an investigation into allegations he has been colluding with criminal syndicates. Mr Ramaphosa's actions follow allegations made by a top police official in the KwaZulu-Natal province, Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, that Senzo Mchunu and deputy police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya had interfered with sensitive investigations. Mr Ramaphosa said the probe will be headed by a judge, and announced Firoz Cachalia as the acting minister of police. 'The commission will investigate the role of current or former senior officials in certain institutions who may have aided or abetted the alleged criminal activity, failed to act on credible intelligence or internal warnings, or benefited financially or politically from a syndicate's operations,' Mr Ramaphosa said during a televised address Sunday. During a press briefing last Sunday, Mr Mkhwanazi also alleged that Mr Mchunu and Mr Sibiya disbanded a crucial crime unit tasked with investigating repeated politically motivated killings in the province after it was revealed that crime syndicates were behind the killings. He alleged that an investigation by the unit showed that some 'politicians, law enforcement, SAPS (South African Police Service), metro police and correctional services, prosecutors, judiciary' were being 'controlled by drug cartels and as well as businesspeople.' The investigation would include some of the country's crime and justice agencies, including the National Prosecuting Authority and the State Security Agency, Ramaphosa said. Most opposition parties on Sunday criticised Mr Ramaphosa for not firing Mr Mchunu instead of placing him on a leave of absence. 'This was an opportunity to take South Africans into confidence and to deal with these issues decisively, instead he calls for a commission of inquiry and expects South Africans to be patient when people are dying on a daily basis,' said Mr Nhlamulo Ndhlela, spokesperson of official opposition MK Party.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store