Mum's stranger danger warning after 10-year-old girls followed by three men in car in Waverley
A Rotherham mum is warning parents of stranger danger after her daughter was reportedly approached by three men in an SUV.
The school girl and her friend, both aged 10, were reportedly out at the duck pond at the junction of Highfield Lane and Poplar Way on the Waverley estate at around 3.55pm on Monday (December 16) when they had a frightening encounter.
Reportedly, a dark coloured SUV with tinted windows was parked on double yellows near the junction when a man in the back rolled the window down and said to the two girls “come over, I’ve got something to show you.”
When the girls walked away, the man reportedly got out and “jogged” over the road and after them, repeating he had “something to show them.”
The girls ran and one of them called her mum once they were around a corner. She then got in her car to pick the girls up.
But while waiting, the girls saw the SUV - which they believed had at least three men inside - drive past them on Highfield Lane, and then came back the other direction.
The mum who spoke to The Star said: “The two of them were badly shook and panicked, and were scared what the man wanted with them.
“All I could do was praise them both that they did the right thing and knew about stranger danger.
“I want to raise awareness and say all parents need to have that conversation with their child, because you never think it’ll happen to you.
“Three men in a car approach two 10-year-old girls and one of them says to ‘come over’ just as it’s getting dark out - it makes me shiver to think about it.”
The Star understands nearby Waverley Junior Academy has contacted parents about the incident.
A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said: “At 4.24pm on December 16, we responded to reports of suspicious circumstances at Poplar Way in the Catcliffe area of Rotherham.
“It is reported that at around 4pm on Monday three men driving a grey car approached a 10-year-old girl, and that one of the men spoke to her.
“The girl left the scene and informed her mother who then contacted the police.
“Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 101 or online. Please quote incident number 640 of December 16, 2024, when you get in touch.”