Following a racially aggravated assault in Ferndown, officers are appealing for witnesses and anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.

It was reported that, between 3.15pm and 3.45pm on Tuesday 29 March 2022, the victim, a local teenage girl, was cycling along a footpath in Wimborne Road East near to the Sainsbury’s roundabout when a teenage boy made a comment about the victim’s heritage and pushed her off her bike and into bushes. The suspect then picked up the victim’s bike and threw it on top of her. The girl sustained a sprained left arm.

The suspect was among a group of around six teenage boys, aged around 16 years old, who were mainly wearing black clothing and had electric scooters. One of the group wore a blue North Face jacket.

Police Constable Kate Davies, of Dorset Police, said: “This was a completely unprovoked attack on a young girl and a full investigation is underway to identify the teenage boy involved.

“Dorset Police takes hate crime incidents extremely seriously and this assault has understandably left the victim feeling very shaken. She is still suffering pain as a result of the assault.

“I would urge anyone who witnessed the incident to please come forward. I would also ask any motorists who were travelling in the area at the time to please check their dashcam and contact us if they find any footage that may be relevant to the investigation.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk/do-it-online, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55220049643. Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.