16-year-old arrested on suspicion of rape after 13-year-old girl is attacked in woodland

A 13-year-old girl was walking in woodland in Sheffield on August 8 when she was approached by someone who assaulted her, before running off.

South Yorkshire Police said it has now arrested a 16-year-old on suspicion of rape.

A statement from the force said: "A 16-year-old man known to the victim, from Sheffield, has been arrested on suspicion of rape of a female aged 16 or under and remains in police custody at this time.

"The victim and her family continue to be supported by specially trained officers."

The attack happened between 6.15pm and 6.45pm in woodland off Lane End in the Chapeltown area of Sheffield.

Detective Superintendent Nikki Leach, from the Sheffield Command Team, said: “This was a despicable attack on a teenage girl, and I know the community will be very concerned to hear what has happened.

“We are taking this incident extremely seriously and have a number of officers dedicated to the investigation. We are now appealing to anyone who may have been in the area or noticed anyone acting suspiciously to please get in touch.”

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact police on 101, quoting incident number 899 of August 8.