Bournemouth beach rape: Boy released without charge

The suspect is thought to come from Birmingham and may be of Pakistani descent, police said

A teenage boy arrested on suspicion of raping a 15-year-old girl in the sea has been released without charge.

The girl was attacked off Bournemouth beach on 18 July after a boy who had returned a ball to the victim and her friends pulled her into deeper water.

The 17-year-old boy from the Warwickshire area was arrested on Friday morning.

Dorset Police said: "Following further investigation work by detectives, he has now been released without charge."

The girl was attacked near the Oceanarium on one of the hottest days of the year when thousands of people were using the beach.

The boy, who said he was 17, returned a ball to the victim and her friends, before striking up a conversation with her and raping her.

The girl was attacked at about 15:30 BST in the sea off Bournemouth beach near to the Oceanarium on Sunday 18 July

The suspect, who is believed to come from Birmingham, is described as mixed race, possibly Asian, about 5'6" (168cm) tall, with a slim but muscular build.

He also had dark, swept back hair that looked freshly trimmed.

Det Insp Wayne Seymour, of Dorset Police's Major Crime Investigation Team, said: "Our investigation is ongoing and we will do all we can to identify the person responsible for this despicable crime. "I would again urge anyone with information to please come forward.

"As we have previously stated, we do have forensic evidence available that means we can quickly eliminate anyone who was not involved from our enquiries."

Anyone with information, images or footage relevant to the investigation to submit it via the UK Police Major Incident Public Portal.