Edinburgh crime: Teenage girl, 13, 'extremely upset' after being assaulted by man near Penicuik

A teenage girl was assaulted by a man dressed in dark clothing in the Scottish Borders.

A 13-year-old girl was attacked in West Linton on Monday night. The victim had just left a friend, and was walking down Station Road, when a man approached and assaulted her, at around 10.10pm on Monday, October, 24.

She described the man as being in his twenties, around 5’10” to 6’0” tall, and of a thin build. On the night of the assault, he was dressed completely in dark clothing, and was wearing a dark hooded top with the hood up and dark tracksuit bottoms. He was also covering his face with a dark snood. After attacking the girl, the man fled the scene and headed towards the centre of West Linton.

The teenage girl did not need to go to hospital, but police say she was “extremely upset” following the assault. Officers are now urging the public to come forward with any relevant information. They are particularly keen to speak to anyone who may have dash-cam footage of the area around the time of the crime. Police will be going door-to-door in the area to gather information, and will also be checking CCTV nearby.

Police from the Lothian and Scottish Borders division are appealing for information after a teenage girl was assaulted in West Linton.

Detective Sergeant Jamie Gilmore of the Criminal Investigation Department said: “The teenage girl was extremely upset by this incident but she did not require hospital treatment. We are providing her and her family all the necessary support they require.“We understand that this incident will be worrying for the local community but I would like to reassure the public that we are doing all we can to identify this man. As part of our investigation, we will be reviewing CCTV and officers will be carrying out door to door enquiries.“We are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area around the time of the incident to get in touch with us or any motorists who may have dash-cam footage. You may have captured something that could assist our enquiry.“Anyone with any information, should call Police Scotland on 101, quoting 3769 of Monday, 24 October, 2022.”