Men offering boys sweets to get in car - police

The incidents happened in the village of Byram, near Selby

Men have been been offering boys sweets to get into their vehicles, according to North Yorkshire Police.

Three incidents in the village of Byram, near Selby, have been reported, the first of which was on 18 September at 16:00 BST.

A boy was walking on the outskirts of Byram on Sutton Lane when a man driving an "older grey car" asked the boy to get in, according to the force.

Two other incidents involved men asking boys to get into their vehicles in exchange for sweets.

In the first incident, the man was described as white, bald, aged around 40 years old with bad teeth, wearing a green high-vis jacket.

The car was last seen driving off in the direction of Birkin.

Police said at around 19:00 BST the same day, a second report was made by the family of another boy who had been approached by a man at Grey Fold while playing with his friends.

The boy told police the man - described as white, older and wearing a red coat - had offered sweets and asked him and his friends to get in the van.

A third incident on 24 September between 16:30 and 16:50 BST happened at Byram Park Road near the woods.

Police said the boy was riding his bicycle when he was approached by a man sitting inside a smaller white van who offered him sweets to get inside.

The suspect was described as white, bald or with a shaven head, large build, aged in his 40s, with a "foreign" accent and possibly had a tattoo on his arm, according to police.

The force said that during each incident, there has been no physical attempt to get the children into the vehicles.

Det Ch Insp Shaun Page, who is leading the investigation, said: "I understand that these recent developments will raise local concerns.

"I want to personally reassure you we are fully committed to investigating these incidents.

"I am urging people to come forward with information to help our enquiries, with any CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage that could assist."

Reassurance patrols have been stepped up in the Byram area

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