A 13-year-old girl has been involved in a random attack while walking along Stour Road in Astley this past weekend.
Her father is now appealing to the public for information after the girl was punched in the face during the unprovoked incident, which occurred early in the evening last Saturday.
She was said to have been approached by the man, who let his dog pull towards her, despite her walking into the road to avoid them, and as she carried on past and turned to go up a ginnel leading to Helston Way, he turned around and ran after her, pulling her by her hair and punching her in the face.
Just moments earlier, the girl had been on the phone to her mum, telling her she was almost home after walking the short distance from a friend’s house, and her mum could even hear the shouts from the incident.
The girl – who is a black belt in jiu jitsu – managed to fight him off however.
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A video of the incident has been widely shared on social media after the girl’s dad, who wishes to remain anonymous, managed to track down CCTV footage.
The footage shows the offender walking his black dog – thought to be a pug or a French bulldog – in the direction of Chancery Close.
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He is wearing an orange zip-up top, and what look like jogging bottoms.
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Like most parents with teenage children, the girl’s parents had only recently been allowing her some extra freedom to walk alone, and they believe it’s thanks to her martial arts training that she was able to fight the attacker off.
The girl’s father said the attack has now made them extra cautious.
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Relaying the incident, the dad-of-one said: “She’s understandably shaken and she’s been a bit subdued since it happened. It’s frightened her quite a bit. Her mum was waiting on the doorstep as she was nearly home and just after she put the phone down, my wife heard everything down the street.”
He continued: “He never said a word to her when his dog pulled towards her”
“She didn’t think anything of it, I think she had been looking at the dog more than anything. She was nearly home and the next thing he’s pulled her hair, tried to drag her to the floor and punched her in the face.
“She’s used to being punched in jiu jitsu so she fought back and managed to get away.
“She’s not badly bruised, he punched her cheek, but it’s lucky that she knows how to defend herself and she defended herself very well, using her skills to get out of the situation.”
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“She only goes out with a few close friends from school and we usually pick them up [but] it’s only since COVID we’ve said she can walk home as we can’t have them in the car. She didn’t have far to walk at all from her friends,
“But we won’t be letting her do it alone now.”
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Confirming the incident, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “Police were called to a report of assault. A girl aged 13 was walking along a ginnel linking Helston Way and Stour Road when she was assaulted by a man who was walking a dog.
“Enquiries are ongoing to trace the offender [but] no arrests have currently been made.
“Police are aware of a video purporting to show the lead up to the assault.”
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The incident happened at around 6.30pm on Saturday 28th November. The man was bald or with short hair, and is thought to have been around 40 years old.
After the assault, he ran back out of the alley in the direction of Glastonbury Road.
Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 7124 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Trending
Pep Guardiola in talks over first international management role
Danny Jones
Football icon and Manchester City legend Pep Guardiola is reportedly set for his first job since leaving the Etihad Stadium, as the Catalan head coach looks like he could be set to make his move into international management.
The generational manager, who has undoubtedly become one of, if not the greatest of all time, left Man City at the end of last season after a decade in East Manchester.
Stepping away from the sky blue side with 20 trophies in 10 years, he’s won pretty much everything there is to win – at least at club level, anyway.
With that in mind, multiple outlets are now claiming that Guardiola is getting ready to make his debut on the international circuit, already being heavily linked with a role as part of ‘gli Azzurri’.
EXCLUSIVE: The FIGC has met with Pep Guardiola to convince him to take over as national team head coach, according to Sky in Italy 🚨🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/qmzjunjur4
Yes, as per Sky News’ sporting arm over in Italy, Pep is now rumoured to be the next person to take the job in their national team, which would be his first proper senior position in international football.
According to Sky, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) have already held meetings with the former Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City boss.
It remains unclear how advanced talks and/or negotiations have progressed up to this point, but it is said that fellow footballing veteran and AC Milan legend turned FIGC technical director, Paolo Maldini, has already travelled to meet the 55-year-old.
Believed to have been joined by former teammate and right-hand man Leonardo Araújo – who previously served as director at PSG – it looks to be more a case of whether Pep wants the job rather than if Italy want him.
From announcing a documentary series covering his final season at Man City, to even launching a dedicated ‘Decade of Pep’ fashion collection, it’s fair to say that both the club and the fan base are bidding a bittersweet goodbye.
Pep has already made it clear that he can’t see himself ever managing the Spanish national team, remarking: “I am a Catalan. I don’t see myself ever managing Spain.”
Meanwhile, other names rumoured as options for the Italian manager’s job include Andrea Pirlo and a return by fellow ex-MCFC boss, Roberto Mancini. Can you see Pep pipping any of these to the post?
As for his former club and ‘second home’, Cityzens will be glad to hear that while it may be all change over at the Etihad Campus, there is plenty to be hopeful about – including some steps more in the right direction when it comes to tickets.
When Manchester City’s cheap tickets for £10 or less go live, and how to get your hands on them
Danny Jones
For those who missed the news, Man City recently announced a new tier of affordable tickets for those living in the East Manchester area, essentially providing those living in the local area with match experiences for just a tenner.
In fact, those eligible for concessions can grab a seat for only £7.50 and nearby kids under 18 for merely a fiver as part of the scheme.
Now THIS is the kind of stuff we want to see from football clubs.
Essentially based on postcode proximity to the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City supporters who fit the native criteria can put their name in for numerous Premier League, domestic cup and European games this season; but how exactly does it work?
Put simply, Mancs living in the Manchester City Council wards listed below, which immediately surround the ever-expanding home ground and wider Campus, can apply:
Miles Platting & Newton Heath
Ancoats & Beswick
Ardwick
Clayton & Openshaw
Gorton & Abbey Hey
Man City local residents scheme – how does it work?
For starters, it’s worth noting that between 100-500 unreserved tickets will be put aside for each game in the coming 2026/27 campaign, all of which will be assigned via a random ballot.
Those who meet the criteria (i.e. live in the aforementioned areas) also don’t need to have an official Matchday Membership; you simply need a Cityzens account, which can be created totally free.
Once your address has been verified, you can enter the ballots for your chosen fixtures, and then it’s just a case of keeping your fingers crossed that your name gets pulled out of that.
You can see a full list of FAQs, along with the relevant terms and conditions, right HERE.
You can expect even more Man City Women’s matches on the biggest stage following their latest title.
When do they go live?
At present, tickets for upcoming Manchester City games will be available across the board from 10am GMT on Tuesday 21 July.
However, fans are being encouraged to sign up to the club’s mailing list for all news and ticketing updates, especially when it comes to this new localised discount category.
With the Etihad currently in the middle of a major redevelopment, including even more seats up in the newly expanded North Stand, Blues should stand an even better chance of getting along to a game or two than ever.
It’s also worth noting that the section of the arena has been officially named after their beloved manager and club legend, Pep Guardiola, who left the serial winners this summer after a decade – a farewell period which will now be covered in an upcoming documentary.
With new head coach Enzo Maresca having now returned to the club in the top position after previous roles as assistant and U23s/EDS boss, plenty will be hoping to be there for the start of this next chapter for the Blues.
They’ll also be welcoming back their Champions League, Ballon d’Or, Euro 2024, Club World Cup and now World Champion in Rodri for the fast-approaching 26/27 term.
The Manc -
1st December 2020 
