East Lothian crime: Police probe into alleged assault at Newhailes Estate

Police are hunting a teenage woman who allegedly “molested” a six-year-old girl at a popular children’s play park on Thursday.

The child is said to have been assaulted by a woman aged around 18 just before midday at the play fort area at Newhailes House and Gardens in Musselburgh, East Lothian.The girl was approached by the teenager at the historic grounds owned by the National Trust for Scotland but managed to break free and “escape”.Police have now launched an investigation and following the incident the child’s mother took to social media to warn local parents and appeal for help in catching the culprit.The mum said: “Hey everyone, this is a hard message to post but I just want to urge everyone with children to be super vigilant with their kids at busy play parks [and] beaches.“Today my eldest daughter was molested at Newhailes play fort.“I won’t go into detail but thankfully she managed to escape and the police were contacted immediately who are currently searching for the culprit.“Credit to the wonderful staff at Newhailes who were incredibly supportive and helpful.“This is really just to serve as a reminder that sadly there are predators out there - not just male, but unfortunately women too who will try to take advantage of busy parks and areas to commit crimes like this.”Inspector David Hughes, from Musselburgh Police Station, said: “Around 11.40am on Thursday, 14 July, 2022, police received a report of an alleged assault in the Newhailes area.“Enquiries into the incident are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact police, quoting incident 1115 of 14 July.”