A 23-year-old man has appeared in court after being charged with the abduction and sexual assault of a six-year-old girl in Droylsden. 

Lewis Jones, of Liverpool in Merseyside, was charged with two counts of sexual assault by penetration and one count of abduction. 

He appeared at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court on Saturday morning (20 August) for a short hearing. It was confirmed his case will be transferred to Manchester Crown Court, where he will appear before a judge on 1 September and he will be remanded in custody in the meantime. 

At 4.10pm on Wednesday afternoon (17 August), Greater Manchester Police were called to reports of a suspected abduction and sexual assault of a girl on Warne Avenue. 

She was safely reunited with her family a short time later. Specialist officers are continuing to give the girl and her family support. 

Police have thanked members of the public for assisting the investigation and there will be additional patrols in the area for the foreseeable. 

Detective Superintendent Richard Hunt, of GMP’s Tameside district, said: “I would, firstly, like to thank members of the public for their reaction to this incident - particularly for sharing our appeals on social media and contacting us with information which has assisted our investigation. 

“As you may know, one man who was arrested in connection with this incident has now been charged but we are aware of the ongoing impact on the community and so additional patrols have been deployed and this will continue for the foreseeable. Anyone who is concerned should speak to officers directly or via our website (www.gmp.police.uk). 

“We also understand the interest this case will have generated but it is absolutely imperative that the suspect has a fair trial so we ask members of the public to refrain from engaging in conversations online, at least until proceedings have concluded. We have removed previously circulated images from our channels and ask others to follow suit.

“As ever, our work doesn’t stop here, we are not looking for anyone else in relation to this investigation but our enquiries are still ongoing and we have lots of work to do." 

Anyone with any further information can still contact police on 0161 856 9262, quoting incident 2270 of 17/08/2022. Information can also be shared anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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