A seven-year-old girl has died following a ‘completely random and brutal’ stabbing in a park. She was attacked in Queen’s Park in Bolton at around 2.30 pm.
A woman in her 30s, who was not known to the girl’s family, has been arrested. Assistant Chief Constable, Russ Jackson of GMP, said: ‘Words cannot describe how awful this attack is.
The family were out in the park, enjoying the spring sun when in a totally unprovoked and random attack this little girl sustained horrendous injuries and sadly died a short while later.
INCIDENT | We are currently dealing with an incident at Queens Park, #Bolton. Please avoid the area.— GMP Bolton North (@GMPBoltonNorth) March 22, 2020
‘A 30-year-old woman who was not known to the family was detained by a member of the public and then arrested by the police. She is currently in custody for murder and it is expected she will be interviewed by detectives later.
‘We are working to understand the motive for this completely random and brutal attack. We understand that the woman has some history of mental illness and we are working to understand if this played any part in her motive. ‘
We have sent specialist family liaison officers to support the family. This is a family’s worst nightmare. The incident is horrendous and I cannot begin to imagine what the family of this little girl are going through.
‘We are determined to quickly understand how this came to happen, leaving a young family so distraught and so devastated in an instant.’ Emergency services flooded the scene and police cordoned off the 22-acre park, just north of the town centre.
All entrances to the park were taped off and families were told to leave the area as forensic officers carried out investigations at the scene.
Around ten police cars flocked to the scene and the North West Air Ambulance attended the park as medics desperately tried to save the youngster’s life. Eyewitnesses say they saw the victim being given CPR. Kelly Roscoe posted on Facebook: “Me and Lee have just taken Ava for some fresh air on Queen’s Park and have just witnessed a little girl being given CPR.
Police, ambulance and helicopters everywhere covering the park!!’ The park was busy with families enjoying the sunshine, despite government orders to avoid public gatherings.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed it was dealing with an ongoing incident and urged people to stay away from the area.
