CCTV appeal following report of voyeurism in Belle Vale
Main article content
Detectives have issued CCTV images of a man who may have information that could assist with enquiries following a report a teenage girl was being filmed in a public toilet in Belle Vale.
It was reported that at around 4pm on 17 September, a man had followed a 14-year-old girl into the female public toilets in Belle Vale Shopping Centre.
While she was inside the cubicle it was reported that a mobile phone was placed under her cubicle on several occasions, leading her to believe that inappropriate photographs were being taken.
The man was confronted by members of the public and he ran off into Belle Vale Park.
Extensive CCTV and witness enquiries have been conducted, and detectives have issued CCTV images of a man they believe could assist in their investigation.
Detective Inspector Lee Egerton said: “As you can imagine the young girl was shocked by this indecent behaviour and invasion of her privacy. Bravely she placed her foot over the phone a number of times in the hope to prevent any footage being captured.
“We appreciate some time has passed since the incident however the initial footage obtained was of poor quality, and following further enquiries these latest images have recently been acquired of man who may be able to help with our enquiries.
“We are taking this incident extremely seriously and we are very keen to speak with the man featured in the image to assist in the investigation.
“With this, I am appealing to the man featured in these images, or anyone who recognises him to come forward. We believe he could hold information that could be vital to our continuing enquiries.
“We also encourage people to come forward if you have information which will help with our continuing investigation.”
Det Insp Egerton added: “I would encourage anyone experiencing this to report it to us and we will support you every way we can.
"If anyone who has suffered a sexual offence and you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us, we will deal with you sensitively and make sure that reports are thoroughly investigated.”
Anyone who witnessed the incident should contact Merseyside Police social media desk via X @MerPolCC or on Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ quoting reference 25000770943.
You can also report information via our website: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or call 101.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously In an emergency always call 999.
To report a sexual offence you can call 101 where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always call 999.
If you have been a victim of sexual assault or rape, you can access specialist support services, which are free of charge and available to anyone. You do not need a referral or to have reported an incident to Merseyside Police before you access these specialist support services.
These services can support you in a variety of ways, including offering a confidential discussion if you are thinking of making a police report, but are unsure what that involves and would like to discuss it.
If you do decide to report to Merseyside Police, you will receive support throughout the investigation, court process and beyond.
You can choose to make an anonymous report through the Sexual Assault Referral Centre called Safe Place, or the Independent Sexual Violence Advisor service, rather than coming directly to Merseyside Police.
With no police involvement, a specialist doctor at Safe Place can examine you to check that you are ok and look for DNA evidence, which they will store to support your case. This gives you the option of making a formal police report at a later time, if you choose to.
Support is also available in Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, from Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.
If you do not require immediate police assistance, then you can report rape and sexual assault via our website here:
Support is also available through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service: Home: Victim Care Merseyside
We recently launched our Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) campaign to put the voices of women and girls at the heart of our work to tackle VAWG. You can find out more about the campaign here: www.merseyside.police.uk/vawg