DETECTIVES are appealing for a woman to come forward after an alleged attempt to abduct a child from a public park.

Visitors to Kelsey Park in Beckenham on Sunday were handed witness appeal leaflets for information regarding the mystery incident on which happened the previous day at about 4.15pm.

Witnesses reported a woman, believed to be the mother or guardian, rushing away from the park with the child after a man was seen trying to grab the child.

It is alleged that, as the woman screamed out, the man turned and ran away. The woman did not report the crime, but witnesses called the police.

A man was arrested following the incident on Saturday, but police want the woman seen running off with her child to come forward.

Det Insp Bryan Davidson, head of Bromley CID's Task Force, said: “This is a possible abduction. The facts are not fully clear at the moment.

“There is no direct evidence at this stage that the suspect arrested attempted to physically abduct the child or entice him/her away from the guardian.

“We need to identify the guardian and child concerned as a matter of urgency to get the full picture.”

The woman is described as a black female, aged between 30 and 35. She had black shoulder-length hair, is about 5ft 3ins tall and is of slim build.

The child is believed to be a toddler under the age of five and is possibly also black. The woman may have had another two children with her, both also believed to be toddlers under five.

Anyone with information is asked to xall Det Con Marie Hill or Det Con Keith McCormack at Bromley police station on 020 8721 4509 or 020 8284 8859. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

* A 49-year-old man from Crystal Palace was arrested and taken to Bromley police station on suspicion of attempted abduction of an unrelated child and has been bailed to attend Bromley police station on Wednesday, June 27.

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