Girl, eight, victim of mugging

The girl was walking to her local shop in Batley Carr at about 4.30pm yesterday when she was robbed in an alleyway.

The child had passed a man and a woman in David Lane and had carried on into a nearby alleyway.

Once in the alleyway the eight-year-old saw another man on his mobile phone. This man stopped the girl and asked her if she had any money.

When the girl said no, the suspect grabbed her hand and took the her purse, which contained £3.50. The purse was small and grey with a leopard-print pattern.

The girl ran out of the alleyway and back to the man and woman she had seen earlier. She told the couple what had happened to her and they took her home.

The robber was described as a black or Asian man in his late teens, slim and wearing a black baseball cap and black jeans.

Police are now appealing for any witnesses to the robbery to contact them, especially the man and woman who took the girl home after the incident.

Anyone with information should contact Det Con Pete Usher at Kirklees CID via 101.