A TEENAGER has been sexually touched while walking in a group through a Worcester park.

Police want to trace witnesses to the offence which happened just before 5.30pm on Saturday (8th) in Cripplegate Park off New Road.

Three teenage girls were walking through the park when a man approached them and grabbed one girl’s bottom.

The girls stayed where they were while the man walked off laughing.

They then left the area and walked towards nearby St Clement’s Gardens where the man reappeared and chased them.

Members of the public came to their aid and called police, who took all three youngsters home before carrying out a search of the area, but the man could not be found.

He is described as being white, aged 40-50 years old, about 5ft 8ins tall with black hair.

He wore round-framed glasses, dark blue jeans, a dark-coloured, waist-length jacket and black shoes and was carrying a black rucksack over both shoulders.

“This was a very distressing incident for the young girls involved and one that is clearly of concern to the police," said PC Louisa Steele from West Mercia Police.

“I would like to appeal to anyone who was in the area of Cripplegate Park early on Saturday evening to think about whether they either saw this incident take place or a middle-aged man acting suspiciously. "It had been a sunny afternoon and there were a lot of people in the park at the time."

Anyone with information should contact PC Steele by calling the non-emergency police number 101, quoting reference number 0544s 08/03/14.