A man who followed an 11-year-old girl before grabbing and sexually assaulting her is being hunted by police.
At around 4.20pm on January 11, a schoolgirl was waiting for a bus in Alder Grove, Dollis Hill , when she was approached by a man who started a conversation with her.
The youngster then boarded a Route 182 bus, which was travelling towards Bannister Playing Fields, and the man followed her on board.
Police said she became concerned after she stood on the lower deck of the bus and the man sat down nearby and tried to maintain the conversation with her.
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The schoolgirl got off at the next stop in Brook Road, but the suspect again followed her and continued behind as she walked down the road.
Catching up with the victim, the man then grabbed and sexually assaulted her before she screamed, struggled and managed to run away.
She was chased by the suspect but he was unable to keep up, a police spokesman said.
Metropolitan Police detectives investigating the sexual assault have now released an image of a man they would like to speak to in connection with their investigation.
Detective Constable Chris Tester, from the Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command, appealed for help in identifying the man in the CCTV image.
He said: “The young victim is very shaken by this incident and I would appeal to the public to help us.
“Thankfully incidents of this nature are rare, but when they do happen it is understandable there are concerns.
“Following the incident, extra patrols have been carried out in the area and the public is asked to report any concerns.”
The suspect is described as a black man, more than 6ft tall, of medium build, bald, with scars underneath both eyes and an African accent.
He was wearing a gold/yellow jacket and black trousers and was carrying plastic shopping bags.
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting reference CAD 5218/11JAN18 , or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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