On February 10, 2026, Thames Valley Police released a computer-generated e-fit image of a man they want to speak to following an attempted kidnapping of a teenage girl in Reading, Berkshire. The incident took place in mid-November 2025 when a man tried to persuade the girl to follow him to another location. Police are asking the public to look closely at the image to see if they recognise the individual.
Investigators are focusing on the residential corridors between Southcote Lane and Tilehurst, where the girl was approached while walking. Local residents and shopkeepers near Oxford Road and Coronation Square have been asked to check their security-camera and dashcam footage from the afternoon of the incident. Officers are especially interested in any footage from mid-November 2025 that has not yet been shared with police.
The alert has been circulated via the Thames Valley Alert system and the Reading Neighbourhood Watch Network; the Research Dossier indicates the appeal was disseminated to more than 10,000 local households to help identify the man. Police said they have pursued several lines of inquiry since the November incident and are now asking for community help to break the deadlock. They have also urged parents and schools in the area to remain vigilant.
If you have any information, Thames Valley Police ask you to contact them (check the force’s official news portal or Thames Valley Alert for the specific appeal and guidance on how to provide footage or information).
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