Police hunt 'serial' sex attacker

Police believe the man may have carried out more attacks

Police investigating two "despicable" sex assaults on young girls in West Yorkshire have revealed that they could be hunting a serial sex attacker.

The victims, aged 12 and 13, were approached on the same Wakefield road in separate incidents by a man in a silver car who asked for directions.

Both victims were then driven away and sexually assaulted.

Police have said they believe it was the same man, and that he may have carried out other attacks in the area.

The first assault took place on 10 August 2003 and the second on New Year's Eve in 2004.

Directions advice

Det Supt Steve Fear said: "We had so many similarities we couldn't ignore it. It's very likely that we've got the start of something by the same person.

"I've got no doubt there are other ones out there that we have to get hold of and get to know about."

In the first incident a 13-year-old girl was waiting at a bus stop on Batley Road in Alverthorpe when she was approached by a man asking for directions.

He insisted she got into the vehicle to show him where to go but ignored her directions and sexually assaulted her as he drove along.

Suspect described

In the second incident, a 12-year-old girl was walking along the same road when the driver of a silver car stopped to ask her for directions, claiming he was a police officer.

Detectives believe the girl was taken to Stoney Lane in East Ardsley, Leeds, where she was sexually assaulted before being returned to Batley Road.

The suspect is described as a white man, about 30 years old, with short brown hair and a fat face.

Mr Fear said: "We are taking them extremely seriously and I want to reassure the public that we are doing everything we can to identify those responsible.

"As with any inquiry of this nature we take all available information into account. What we want to do now is appeal for anyone else that may have been approached in a similar way to come forward."