Young girl assaulted by man as she walked to school (From Times Series)

Young girl assaulted by man as she walked to school in Mill Hill

3:23pm Friday 22nd June 2012 in News By Chris Hewett

A 14-year-old girl was allegedly assaulted by a man as she walked to school in Mill Hill this morning, just eight days after reports another girl was attacked in similar circumstances.

The latest incident took place when the teenager was walking through a private garden in Caldew Court, Bunns Lane, at 9.15am.

Police were called by a member of the public to the nearby Copthall Sports Centre, in Champions Way, at 9.50am.

No arrests have been made so far and police say the girl is now with her family.

The gardens were cordoned off as scenes of crime officers and a forensic team were scoured the area and took photographs.

The attack took place just a few hundred yards from Copthall Secondary School, a girls comprehensive with 1,150 students aged between 11 and 18.

The school has since sent out an email to parents, warning them to be vigilant.

Officers have released few details of the attack and say it is too soon to determine whether it is linked to a similar assault in Colney Hatch on Thursday last week.

In that attack, a 14-year-old girl was reportedly approached from behind as she walked home from school along Colney Hatch Lane, near the junction with Halton Avenue, at 2pm.

The man, described as black and aged between 25 and 30, grabbed her by the waist and put his hand over her mouth before dragging her towards an overgrown pathway.

The quick-thinking student, who had finished school early, managed to elbow her attacker in the stomach and escape onto a nearby bus.

Speaking about the latest incident, a police representative said: “It is very early on in the investigation and we’re making local enquiries to see if there are further witnesses.

“It is much too early to ascertain if there is any link to last week’s attack and we are liaising with all of the relevant bodies to ensure the safety of the students.

“The chief inspector has been informed and we will be putting on extra patrols in the area. We would also like to reassure the public who will obviously be extremely concerned after this assault.”