A young boy was sexually assaulted as he walked along Oldhill Street in London's Stamford Hill neighborhood.
London 24 News reports:
A young boy was sexually assaulted as he walked along Oldhill Street in Stamford Hill on Sunday September 14.
Detectives from the Met’s sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse command (SOECA) are investigating the alleged sexual assault and have so far arrested two men.
Shomrim, the volunteer Hasidic Jewish civilian security group which patrols the area, has warned about two other alleged attempted abductions which occurred nearby on the same day.
And a mother has told of how two months ago a man tried to lure her 11-year old son and another boy into his house using toy water guns.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, had been visiting a relative on an estate near Oldhill Street, while her son was playing football with four other boys outside on the grass in the middle of the flats.
She said: “I could not see him from the door so went to look for him inside the block.
“I literally found my son on this man’s doorstep about to enter his house, as the man told the boys they had to go into his house in order to find the toy water gun.
“I pushed this male away from my son and called the police straight away who attended three hours later.”
“During this time the said man had packed a bag and gone away from the flats.”
Following the incident last Sunday, Shomrim volunteers worked with the victims and their families throughout the day, and continue to offer them support.
The group issued a statement reminding parents to advise children never to accept food or gifts from a stranger, even if they are friendly and do not look suspicious.
“It is important to instil a level of confidence in your children which will enable them to say no in an uncomfortable situation,” they said.
Chaim Hochhauser, a supervisor at Shomrim, said: “Shomrim have worked tirelessly throughout the last few days, successfully locating several witnesses including some vital CCTV footage which was all passed on to the police, and as a result, a suspect has been arrested.”
Supt Andy Walker from Hackney Police confirmed there would be extra police patrols following the incident.
He said: “These sorts of offences are thankfully very rare in Hackney, but of course they are particularly upsetting incidents and I understand the effect that this may have on people in Stamford Hill.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Shomrim for their help in getting this message out to local people and for their continued support in keeping Hackney safe”.
A 44-year-old man and a 22-year-old man have both been arrested separately on suspicion of rape and were bailed until next month, pending further enquiries.
The police statement on the frequency of child sex abuse crimes is wrong.
The number of reported cases may be lower in Stamford Hill and Hackney than the average in London, but that is the number of reported cases – not the number of actual cases. The haredi prohibition against mesira (informing) – the haredi version of Omerta – prevents many cases from being reported to police.
London police know this, and there really is no excuse for failing to say it out loud.