A 15-year-old girl was raped near a recreation ground by a man who told her he wanted to “protect her”, police have said.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the teenager was walking near Eccles Recreation Ground in Salford before she was attacked between 23:00 GMT on 23 October and 02:00 on 24 October.
Before following the girl and attacking her a short time later, the man shouted that he “wanted to protect her”. A GMP spokesperson said the victim was too “terrified” to run away.
The force has released a CCTV image of the suspect, who is described as white, about 5ft 7in (1.7m) tall, with brown shoulder-length hair, a goatee beard and a moustache.
Det Insp Dave Ogden said: “This is a highly disturbing report and one we are taking with the utmost seriousness.
“Our priority remains providing care and support for the young girl involved in this case.”
No arrests have been made and police have added extra patrols in the local area.