POLICE are searching for a man who grabbed a 12-year-old girl in a Carlton street.
The victim was walking near the junction of South View Road and Heather Road on Monday night when the man approached her from behind.
He then grabbed her and tried to lift her up.
She managed to escape his grasp and run away. The man then fled.
Notts Police say they have increased patrols in the area and are appealing for witnesses to the incident, which happened at about 7.40pm.
Officers say the girl, who was walking in the street after leaving an evening activity class, was "unharmed but shaken" by the incident.
Police say she did not know the attacker.
The man being hunted wore dark clothes and was in his 20s or 30s.
Detectives also appealed for calm after a host of rumours about the attack spread on the web.
Detective Sergeant Paul Lefford said: "There is a lot of communication about this incident on social media, much of which is speculation.
"I would urge people to avoid fuelling the situation with rumours as it is not helpful to the investigation or to your community."
He added: "This appears to have been an isolated incident.
"We are investigating the circumstances in a bid to identify the man.
"We have increased patrols in the area and are working closely with the schools to ensure children are familiar with the stranger danger principle.
"Anyone who has experienced a similar approach by a man fitting the description should call police."
Local parents said they were not unduly concerned by the attack.
Parents-of-three Phil and Teresa Cresswell live in Perlethorpe Avenue, a few streets from the scene of the incident.
Mr Creswell, 46, said: "We had heard about it on Facebook.
"I've been picking our children up and dropping them off and not letting them walk the streets at night on their own."
Mrs Creswell, 41, added: "Of course it does worry you but you just make sure your kids are safe and know what to do.
"It's a safe area. There was something last year where a guy was hanging around but there was more of a police presence for a while and there weren't any problems," she added.
Anyone who saw Monday night's incident or who has any information about the man's identity is asked to contact Notts Police on 101.
They should quote incident number 725 on December 3 2012.
They can also contact Crimestoppers, which is free and anonymous, on 0800 555 111.
