Urgent appeal over child abduction attempt: 9-year-old boy breaks free after being grabbed by bearded man

A manhunt is underway after a ‘bearded man’ attempted to drag a nine-year-old boy away in a suspected abduction attempt. Lancashire Police said they were called to the incident in Fleetwood at 7.30pm on Thursday (July 6).

The youngster was grabbed by the arm by the man who attempted to take him away from the location. The child was however able to break free, and the man left the scene.

The police described the suspect as white, of a muscly build with tanned skin and a height between 5ft 7in and 5ft 10in with black hair and a black bushy beard. He was said to be wearing a black snood-like face covering, with a black, long-sleeved tracksuit top and black tracksuit shorts. He had an Eastern European accent.

DI Steven Montgomery said: “This is a concerning incident where the young boy was thankfully able to free himself from the man’s grip. Enquiries are ongoing to identify the man described as soon as possible.

"These incidents are rare, but we have increased reassurance patrols in the area as a precaution. If you have any CCTV or dashcam from yesterday evening (July 6), at around 7.30pm or if you have any information in relation to the attempted abduction, or the man described above, I would urge you to get in contact with us.”