Paper girl fights off attacker

Police say the attacker may have been planning a break-in

A newspaper-delivery girl fought off an armed attacker who grabbed her and threatened her.

The 14-year-old, who has not been named, was delivering newspapers in Reading, Berkshire, when she was attacked with what police believe was either a knife or a screwdriver.

Detectives are treating the incident as an attempted abduction but say the man could have been disturbed while attempting to burgle the house in Woodcote Road.

Officers investigating the incident have now released a computer generated image of a man they wish to speak to about the attack.

House-to-house inquiries

The incident occurred at about 2000 GMT on Tuesday, 4 November, when the girl walked down a driveway where a man was standing.

When he grabbed her, the girl screamed and fought back before the attacker ran off.

He got into a small white van parked in Harrogate Road.

The victim ran home and told her family about the attack.

Police officers carried out house-to-house inquiries in the area and a number of people came forward as witnesses.