Derbyshire Police mocked over 'kiss on the cheek' assault appeal

Police say the kiss falls under the Sexual Offences Act 2003

Police have removed a sexual assault appeal after it attracted "counterproductive" comments online.

Derbyshire Police posted the appeal on its website and social media accounts on Saturday.

It asked for help to find a man who kissed a woman on the cheek to thank her for helping him when his lorry became stuck under a bridge in Matlock.

The appeal was ridiculed, with one person on Twitter arguing that "a kiss on the cheek isn't a crime".

The force later pulled the appeal from its accounts, explaining: "The post drew a significant number of comments that were counterproductive to the nature of the appeal."

One Twitter user asked the force if the appeal was a joke and another wrote: "Giving someone a kiss on the cheek isn't a crime nor is it sexual assault."

Others have argued that kissing a stranger, especially during the coronavirus crisis, is not acceptable behaviour.

Derbyshire Police said the unwanted kiss fell under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

The force said the victim, a woman in her 70s, was "very distressed, especially at a time when close contact with strangers is to be avoided" and added: "We take all allegations of this nature extremely seriously."

Despite removing the details of the incident, police said people with information could still get in touch.

The force recently faced criticism for using drone footage to "lockdown shame" walkers in the Peak District.

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