Police dog helps catch assault suspect in Polegate

Sussex Police said Polly the dog found the suspect hiding in a garden in Windmill Place on Saturday, July 11.

A spokesman for the force said: “At around 2.30am on Saturday, July 11, police received several reports of someone trying to break into a house in Windmill Place.

“A 17-year-old girl was reported to have been violently assaulted by a 17-year-old boy who had made off from the scene.

“Officers arrived at the scene and PD Polly was deployed to search for the suspect.

“She tracked behind a substation, over a fence and across several gardens, before the suspect was found hiding up a garden path. A further unit attended and the suspect was safely detained.”

Officers confirmed a 17-year-old boy from Eastbourne was arrested on suspicion of assault, criminal damage and attempting to possess cannabis. He has been released under investigation, pending further enquiries.

Police have since engaged with the victim to ensure her welfare, and safeguarding advice has been provided.

Polly is a five-year-old German Shepherd-Malinois cross general purpose police dog, trained in various disciplines which include searching open ground or buildings for suspects, tracking suspects or missing people, and searching for discarded property.

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.