Search for man who tried to lure six-year-old into van yards away from where Sarah Everard was last seen

Police are searching for a man after a suspected abduction attempt of a six-year-old boy yards away from where Sarah Everard was last seen.

The child was approached by a man at around 4.30pm last Thursday (April 22) outside his home on Clarence Avenue in Lambeth.

The man briefly spoke to the boy over the garden wall and he is alleged to have said that he had some sweets and drinks in his van before the child ran back inside and alerted his mother.

By the time she came outside the man had left and she did not see the man or the alleged van.

The boy was physically unharmed but detectives from the Central South Command Unit are now appealing for witnesses.

The suspect was described by the victim as a brown skinned male, approx. 5ft 6in tall, with short black hair, wearing a blue blazer, and black trousers.

Detective Sergeant Mark Pascall said: “Incidents of this nature are very rare and in this instance the boy was not harmed at all.

“Nonetheless, I completely understand the concern it has caused both the boy’s family and the community, and can assure local people that we are taking this incident very seriously.

“We are doing everything we can to identify the man described and urge anyone who was in the area at the time and saw a man acting suspiciously to contact us.

“If you were driving and have dash cam footage that may have captured the man described, please get in touch.”

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CRIS 1210094/21

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

Sarah Everard, 33, vanished as she walked home to Brixton, from the Clapham Junction area.

Her phone signal was last picked up near Clarence Avenue and her body was  found a week later in woodland near Ashford, Kent.