Police investigate nursery sexual assault
Seeta Bhardwa
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Five men have been arrested in Worcestershire after a child told their family that they had been sexually abused at a Bright Eyes nursery.
West Mercia police have searched six locations including the three nursery settings in Redditch, Bromsgrove and Droitwich after the mother contacted police when her child disclosed that they had been assaulted at one of the Bright Eyes nurseries.
The men are currently in custody at Worcester and Kidderminster Police stations.
Superintendent Kevin Purcell said, ‘A young child has made a disclosure that we are taking extremely seriously. We are treating it as sensitively as possible due to the nature of the offence and the very young age of the child involved.’
He added, ‘Our primary concern is their welfare as well as that of the other children who attend the nurseries.
'We are working with our partner agencies in the Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Board as part of our response.’
‘The investigation is in its early stages and five men have been arrested as we endeavour to identify the person responsible for the assault.’
‘We fully understand how concerning this disclosure will be to those people whose children attend Bright Eyes Nurseries, as well as the wider community.’
‘All parents and carers who have visited the nurseries today were given a letter explaining as far as possible, the reasons for our activities, while police staff are available to discuss any immediate worries they may have.’
Superintendent Purcell has also said in a press briefing that they are not dealing with a paedophile ring at this stage, but has confirmed that all five men are connected to the nursery.
