Police investigate reports man tried to buy children in Aldi car park, London Road, Sheffield

It follows a similar report elsewhere in the city a few days earlier.

The Star was alerted to the latest incident by a reader, who said she was approached in the Aldi car park off Boston Street, near London Road, on Friday December 3.

She said she and her sister pulled up in the car park and were approached by a man she described as ‘foreign’, who shut the car door on her when she tried to get out.

She said: “He held a note up to the window saying he can’t hear me but would I take money for two children. I was very shaken and called 999. He also approached at least four other women in the car park. I just want to make others alert he was wanting to buy children.”

South Yorkshire Police confirmed an investigation was ongoing.

Boston Street

The force said in a statement: “We were called by a member of the public at about 1.35pm on Friday December 3 to report a man acting suspiciously in the car park of the Aldi store off Boston Street in Sheffield.

"Officers attended the scene but the man had left by that time.

​”Enquiries are ongoing and officers would like to speak to anyone who was using the Aldi car park at the time and who may have seen or heard anything suspicious.

​”The man police would like to speak to regarding the incident is described as white but with tanned skin and with very short black hair. He was wearing a navy blue tracksuit top and black face mask.

“If anyone was in the car park around the time and saw the man described acting suspiciously, they are asked to call 101 quoting incident number 399 of 3 December, or visit southyorkshire.police.uk and use our online reporting portal.

“Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 to pass information.”

A similar incident was reported on December 1, on Batemoor Road, Batemoor, around 8.20am, when a man, along with two other males, approached a mother, took out a large amount of money and offered to buy her daughter.

She refused and ran towards a school with her daughter.

A similar incident was reported in Doncaster last month.