Schoolgirl (14) raped after being forced into a car in Oxford

Parents urged to ensure their children walk to school in groups, while investigations continue

Police officers near Cavendish Drive in Marston, Oxfordshire after a 14-year-old schoolgirl was raped after being snatched from a street. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA
Police officers near Cavendish Drive in Marston, Oxfordshire after a 14-year-old schoolgirl was raped after being snatched from a street. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA

A schoolgirl was raped after being snatched from a street and forced into a car during a four-hour ordeal, detectives have revealed.

The 14-year-old victim was grabbed and made to get into a hatchback car as she walked in the Banbury Road area of Summertown, Oxford, between 8.15am and 8.40am on Wednesday.

Inside the car, which was possibly a Volkswagen, a second man was waiting. Following her abduction the teenager, who was wearing her school uniform, was raped.

After her ordeal, she was found knocking on doors in Cavendish Drive, Marston, and the alarm was raised, officers from Thames Valley Police’s major crime unit said.

READ MORE

As the girl received support from specialist officers, extra patrols were deployed in the area amid a major operation to find the two men, who are both white.

Parents have been urged to ensure their children walk to school in groups.

Detective Superintendent Chris Ward, head of Thames Valley Police’s major crime unit, said: “We are in the early stages of this investigation and we are carrying out extensive inquiries, including looking at CCTV footage.

“We are asking anyone who saw a silver hatchback vehicle acting suspiciously in the area of Banbury Road and Marston Ferry Road during rush-hour to contact us.

“I would specifically like to appeal to any cyclists and drivers who passed through the area, to check any camera footage from a head or dash camera.”