Hampshire and Isle Of Wight Police are appealing for witnesses and information following a sexual assault that occurred in Southampton.

Police were called at around 1:10pm on Wednesday August 6, to a report that a man had approached a 17-year-old girl on Dean Road, going towards Bitterne Library. The man asked her inappropriate questions before pulling her down a flight of stairs into the subway underpass, where he proceeded to touch her inappropriately on the upper half of her body over her clothing.

The incident was interrupted when members of the public entered the subway from the opposite side, prompting the suspect to flee the scene. We are urging anyone who may have entered the subway at this time to come forward.

The suspect is described as South Asian in appearance, skinny build, with black hair, a black beard, and approximately 5ft 4ins tall. He was wearing a white t-shirt at the time of the incident.

Officers are currently conducting enquiries in the area, including scoping for CCTV, and in the meantime asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or who may have relevant dashcam or Ring doorbell footage from the area around that time, to contact police on 101, quoting reference 44250353572.