POLICE investigating the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl have released images of a man they want to trace.

As previously reported, the incident happened at around 4pm on Thursday, September 20 as the girl walked home from a shop on Butts Road in Sholing .

She was sexually assaulted by a man who is described as white, 5ft 8, aged 30-40, of medium build with short, 'fuzzy' ginger or blonde hair and wearing a black jumper or jacket and dark trousers.

Detective Inspector Justin Norris said: “We’re keen to speak to the man shown in the CCTV as he was in the area at the exact time the crime took place and we’d like to eliminate him from our enquiries. He may well have just have been passing and if that is the case he could have important information for us about what happened.

“I would urge him or anyone who thinks they know who he is to get in touch with the Western Area CID team at Southampton Central Police Station on 101 or if they want to remain anonymous they can alternatively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

“In Southampton these kinds of incidents remain rare and we want to find the person responsible as soon as possible. We have a team of officers working on the case and are carrying out regular patrols in the area.”