Police in Lincoln are investigating several reports that a man has been acting in a concerning manner around young people.
A spokesperson said:
‘The first relates to an incident reported where a girl was catching a bus from Lincoln bus station and was approached by a man who spoke with her and made her feel uncomfortable.
‘This occurred on 10 October and was reported on 6 November, after the same girl was then approached by a man she believed to be the same person. He took the same bus as her – the number 13 bus to Waddington – and throughout the journey, moved seats to be closer to her as passengers disembarked. He smiled in her direction but did not interact with her. Nevertheless, she was left feeling shaken.
‘The man is described as being short and of skinny build, in his 50s or 60s, white, with grey hair, crooked teeth, and wrinkly skin. He was wearing black jeans and a black hoodie and had a Liverpool accent.
‘A second report from 6 November stated that a boy was pulled into a driveway at Lower High Street, Waddington, just after 7pm by an unknown man and told to be quiet before managing to push him away. The boy was not physically harmed but was left shaken. That man was described as middle-aged, of average height, and wearing dark clothes with a hood up. He was also described as having wrinkly hands.
‘At this time, we are keeping an open mind about what happened and who is responsible, but we would be keen to hear from anyone who might have been approached in a similar way but has not yet made a report.
‘We are also aware of a social media post circulating on a local page, which names a specific address along with a claim that a man living there is connected to these reports.
This is incorrect. We have no information to suggest that the people living at that address are connected to any of the incidents we are investigating, and we ask that you do not repeat this claim or otherwise approach the people at that property.’
Inspector Rachel Blackwell, who manages the local Neighbourhood Policing Team for North Kesteven, said:
“I understand that people will feel worried when they hear about these two separate incidents. Even if you haven’t been directly affected by something, reports like this in the community do make people feel worried, and it’s right that you would want to understand what is being done.
“I have tasked my officers to speak with the people who have reported these incidents to get as full a picture as possible and review any CCTV, as well as speak to people in the local area and look into any information already shared, including names that have been given to us.
“There are some other enquiries we are making which we can’t go into for operational reasons, but we want you to know that we are doing everything we can to understand what’s happened and identify anyone involved. I would urge anyone who hasn’t reported a similar incident in that area to get in touch, because the more information we have, the more we can understand what has happened and prevent any further issues.”
If you know anything about the two incidents mentioned, or you have been approached in a similar way, please get in touch with the local team via email at hykeham@lincs.police.uk.