West Midlands Police are reviewing CCTV footage after a 10-year-old girl was punched in the face by a man on Trinity Street in Coventry on Saturday evening. The attack occurred near The Flying Standard Wetherspoons at around 6:30pm on June 6. The offender, believed to be a man in his 40s, fled before officers arrived. He has not yet been identified.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “We are investigating after a 10-year-old girl was punched in her face by a man in Trinity Street on Saturday at around 6:30pm. Officers attended shortly after being alerted, but the offender, believed to be a man in his 40s, had left the area. Thankfully, the girl did not suffer any injuries.”
The force confirmed CCTV footage from the area is being recovered and reviewed as part of the investigation to identify and trace the man involved.
What happened
The incident took place on a busy Saturday evening near one of Coventry city centre’s most frequented stretches, close to The Flying Standard – the Wetherspoons pub on Trinity Street. At around 6:30pm, the girl was punched in the face by a man believed to be in his 40s. The attack appears to have been unprovoked. The offender left the scene before police could attend.
Officers responded shortly after being alerted to the incident. Despite the nature of the attack, West Midlands Police have confirmed the girl did not suffer any physical injuries.
The investigation
The investigation is at an early stage. Police are concentrating their enquiries on CCTV footage from the surrounding area, which covers one of the city’s main retail and hospitality streets. Trinity Street and the surrounding area generate significant foot traffic on weekend evenings and it is hoped that footage will allow officers to identify the man.
West Midlands Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. The force can be contacted on 101 or via Live Chat on the West Midlands Police website. The crime reference number is 20/276591/26. Anyone who was in the area at around 6:30pm on Saturday June 6 and witnessed the incident, or who may have mobile phone footage, is asked to get in touch.
Coventry city centre and antisocial behaviour
The incident has prompted concern among residents and follows ongoing discussions about the safety of Coventry city centre on weekend evenings. As we have reported previously, antisocial behaviour in town and city centres nationally has been a recurring political issue, raised in the Makerfield byelection debate this week by candidates including Andy Burnham, who pledged to bring Operation Vulcan – Greater Manchester’s deep-dive community crime reduction programme – to Ashton-in-Makerfield.
The debate about how best to tackle these issues – between more visible neighbourhood policing, youth investment and broader community provision – was one of the defining topics of the BBC Makerfield debate this week, with all candidates broadly agreeing on the need for both a policing presence and investment in youth services to address underlying causes. As Conservative candidate Michael Win-Stanley noted during the debate, a lack of visible community policing has eroded public confidence over recent years. Andy Burnham, who as Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester oversaw the turnaround of GMP, credited the appointment of Sir Steven Watson and a commitment to doubling arrests with delivering falling neighbourhood crime.
For families in Coventry, the more immediate question is the safety of city centre streets on a Saturday evening. The unprovoked nature of this attack – a man in his 40s punching a 10-year-old girl in the face before running – will be deeply unsettling for the local community.
What to do if you have information
West Midlands Police are asking anyone with information to contact them on 101 or via Live Chat on the West Midlands Police website, quoting crime reference 20/276591/26.
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