Two arrests over racist attack on man wrongly accused of child kidnap bid in Scartho

Two people have been arrested on suspicion of a racist assault on a man who was wrongly accused of trying to abduct a child from a playground.

Police were initially called to reports of an alleged attempted abduction from a play area on Louth Road, Scartho, near Grimsby, at around 6pm on Saturday, 17 September.

They arrested a man who had been accused of attempting to snatch a child from a swing.

But a Humberside Police spokesperson said: "On investigation, it appears the man was attempting to help the child get on a swing after the child asked him for assistance.

"This was further corroborated by the child’s parent, and witnesses in the area. The man has since been released under investigation whilst we carry out additional enquiries."

The force said that, after helping the child, the man was subjected to a racially aggravated assault.

Two people have been arrested in connection with the attack.

The force spokesperson added: "We are aware that this incident has attracted a lot of speculation online. We ask people to refrain from posting, reposting or commenting on material that may not reflect the facts, which will be determined as a result of our ongoing investigations."