Police hunt continues for racist attackers

Photo: Ask Bury

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Police have released details of a girl thought to be responsible for the brutal, racist attack in Springfield Park last month.

The Hate Crime Unit has been tracing the offenders who fractured the eye socket of a 17-year-old girl in Springfield Park on Tuesday 16 June (previously reported on Rochdale Online News).

The 17-year-old girl had taken her three young sisters to play on the swings in the park together with her sister-in-law, who had also taken her 12-month-old baby daughter.

Confronted by two girls already on the swings, the victim and her sisters were told they could not use them and were racially abused. A short time later, a third girl and a boy joined in the abuse.

One the girls then punched the victim in the face, and the pendant from her bracelet embedded itself in the teenagers right cheek, narrowly missing her eyeball. The victim was taken by ambulance to Rochdale Infirmary with the pendant still embedded in her face, where doctors then removed it.

She was left with a cut beneath her eye, a fractured eye socket and severe bruising.

Three girls, two aged 16 and one aged 14, were arrested in connection with the incident and bailed until 16 July 2009 pending further inquiries.

A 15-year-old boy has also been arrested and remains on bail.

Police are continuing the inquiries to trace all the offenders, and believe a girl possibly named 'Kirsty' may be involved.

She is described as white, about 17 or 18-years-old, about 5ft tall, of a chubby build and with dark blonde hair tied into a ponytail. She was wearing a light-blue football shirt and said to have stars tattooed or drawn onto her neck.

Police Constable Lee Worswick, of the Hate Crime Unit based at Rochdale, said: "The brutal and horrendous nature of this attack has caused a lot of concern in the community and although I would like residents to be reassured that we have made arrests, we will not be complacent.

"I would strongly urge anyone who knows anyone matching the description of this 'Kirsty' to come forward and speak to us.

We are pursuing every available avenue to bring those responsible for this racist attack to justice and I would implore anyone who has information to search their conscience and speak up."

Anyone with information should call the Hate Crime Unit on 0161 856 8511 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.