An urgent appeal for witnesses has been made after police received reports of a man exposing himself and “making sexual advances” to a stranger in a Salford park.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that officers received a call at approximately 4:15pm on Tuesday afternoon (14 March) to reports of a woman being grabbed by an unknown man in Buile Hill Park, near to the Lower Seedley Road side of the park.
While police confirmed the victim was able to get free, they were understandably left “very distressed” by the encounter.
Then, just a short time later, a further report of a man exposing himself on Eccles New Road was received – which led GMP to reveal they believe the two incidents are “linked”.
Now GMP is urgently appealing to the public to help identify the man.
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According to GMP, the man is described as being white, in his late teens to early twenties, and between 5ft 5 and 5ft 8 inches tall.
He was dressed in a dark-coloured beanie hat, dark-coloured top, tracksuit bottoms, and dark trainers, at the time of the incidents in question, and it’s also believed that he spoke with a local Salford / Greater Manchester accent.
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GMP says investigations are currently ongoing, but no arrests have been made as of yet.
“We need to speak to this man as soon as possible,” Detective Inspector Gareth Humphreys of the Salford district explained.
“We are asking for homes, businesses and vehicles in the area to check their CCTV and doorbell/dashcam footage around the time of the incidents.”
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Urgent appeal to identify man who ‘exposed himself’ and tried to stranger in Salford park / Credit: Google Maps
In response to the distressing incident, a large number of police officers have been deployed to the Salford area in an effort to “locate and apprehend the suspect”, GMP has confirmed.
“It’s important that residents and other members of the public in the area feel safe and reassured and as such, we have increased our patrols, particularly in and around Buile Hill Park,” DI Humphreys assured the public.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Salford CID on 0161 856 5261, or dial 101 and quote log number 232 of 14 March 2023, or alternatively, you can pass information over anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – Google Maps
News
How will the Government’s new digital ID alternative for alcohol sales work?
Emily Sergeant
All licensed venues across England and Wales now have the choice to introduce digital proof of age for alcohol sales alongside physical.
Instead of having to hand over physical ID that contains personal information, such as names and home addresses, customers now have the choice to simply provide confirmation that they are 18 or over on their phone – helping to better protect privacy and personal safety in the process.
This means that, no matter whether you’re buying a drink at your favourite pub, heading to a festival, or enjoying a night out at a concert, you won’t need to worry if you’ve left your ID at home.
According to the Government, this new change will benefit businesses greatly too, as certified digital services are able to check that an ID is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it much easier than the alternative can, which therefore helps to reduce the risk of any fake or borrowed IDs going undetected.
Well, according to the Government, it could be as simple as a customer showing a QR code for staff to scan, or tapping their phone against a compatible reader, where staff will then receive a clear confirmation on their device that the customer has passed the age check.
This change follows a 2024 Government consultation where it was reported that 72% of respondents supported the use of digital identities for age verification when buying alcohol.
Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock reiterated that ‘it will remain an individual or business’ choice whether to use or adopt [digital ID]’ and that physical ID will ‘still remain a valid way’ for customers to prove their age.
“This groundbreaking change in the law will mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information such as your name or address just to prove your age, allowing everyone to feel safer on a night out,” she concluded.
Featured Image – Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
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Manchester to host G20 Summit in 2027 with more than a dozen world leaders descending on the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed as the host city for the G20 Summit next year.
It was already announced back in November last year that the G20 Summit would be coming to the UK in 2027, and plans were apparently already being discussed to host it in Manchester even before Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and Number 10 North was set up.
But now, ahead of this year’s leaders’ summit being held in Miami in December, it has been confirmed that the G20 Summit will arrive in Manchester in November 2027.
Manchester is said to have been picked to host the leaders’ summit because of its ‘cultural heritage’.
Bringing together 19 of the world’s largest economies and two major multilateral bodies – the European Union and the African union – G20 members who will be invited to attend the summit next year make up 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population as a whole.
Manchester has been confirmed to host the G20 Summit in 2027 / Credit: 10 Downing Street | Paul Kagame (Flickr)
G20 members are also some of the UK’s closest economic partners, the Government insists.
17 of the UK’s top 20 global export markets attend the summit, as do 18 of the UK’s top 20 sources of foreign direct investment.
The presidency of the G20 is currently held by the US but will pass to the UK after the leaders’ summit hosted by the president at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in December.
The 2027 summit will be held at Manchester Central, it has been confirmed, and other locations across the UK will also host other G20 events as part of the year-long presidency, but these are yet to be announced.
Emily Sergeant -
16th March 2023 
