This story was placed with consent of the Family

Local Resident Dave Harley Campbell-Smith - Children have lucky escape

David Wrote,

Public Warning... specifically families with children!

It saddens me to have to post this...

My wife and children visited one of our families favourite places in Formby today, the woods.

We live in Southport. We have two little girls who adore being out in nature. Today, while I was at work, my wife and girls went to the little wood near St Luke's Church in Formby. They had only been there a short time before our girls became prey to a paedophile at around 13:40 - 4th Jan 22!

Luckily, my wife spotted the danger and was able to shield them before they saw what was happening!

There is no way of not being blunt here, but he was only a stone's throw away from them on a ridge in the tree line fully exposing and openly pleasuring himself, while staring at the children!

Their mum saw him and wrapped her arms around them, turning them away while she screamed at him! A lady walking a dog was passing by behind him at the time, she saw and heard what was happening, she saw him flee the scene. This witness did not stop, but we found out later she had called the police.

We would like to thank the local couple, a Dad and daughter, who spotted my wife in a terrible state shortly after, helped her out of the woods with the kids and pram and called the police. They then drove to the rangers station to notify them of what had happened, and returned to my wife and children to check on them! Massive thank you to you both, you are heroes without capes!

We would also like to thank the police and rangers for their help. Special thanks to the rangers who helped distract the girls and offered treats while there mummy spoke to police!

I am writing this to notify people in and around Formby! One to safeguard their children, and two in the hope's that someone reading may be able to help.

Were you in the area at the time?

Did you see anything?

Did you see a white male, slim build, aged 50/60, roughly 5'8' in a red coat, wearing a hat? Does this description ring a bell with possible previous similarities in circumstances?

We know there was another mother there as they passed them when leaving the woods and later spoke to her, telling her what had happened. This mother said that a man in a red coat matching his description had earlier stopped and spoke to her kids while stroking their arms! We believe this mother also called and reported to the police shortly after being told!

Were you also in the area with children, and remember anyone of the above description interacting or hovering around children?

If you have any information which may help, please private message me.

Alternatively, we are awaiting a police reference number to be provided when police call my wife shortly, hopefully tomorrow with a follow-up call. I will update once we have a ref' number at the top of this post. So if anyone has any information they believe may help catch this predator, they can message me and/or call 101 and quote the ref once provided!

Thank you for reading and thank you if you can help... please feel free to share where allowed. The more this is passed around, the more likely he will be removed from society!

Report by Blake Maynard of 'Friends of Southport'