The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) hopes that the public can help identify a man who reportedly propositioned a 12-year-old girl for sex.
Police said the girl was standing in front of a school near the area of Princess Avenue and East Pender Street when she was approached by an unknown man just after 2 p.m. on Nov. 29.
He told her that he wanted to pay her for sex. She declined and he left. Police said she was not physically assaulted.
The girl then returned to school, told an adult and the police were called in. Officers could not to find the man.
Police said the goal of releasing the sketch is to identify him and determine what, if any, risk he may pose to young girls in the area.
The suspect is described as a six-foot-tall Aboriginal man with a heavy build. He was missing teeth and spoke with a lisp, and was wearing a red plaid jacket over a black hoodie and blue jeans.
“This young girl did the right thing by immediately telling a trusted adult,” Const. Jason Doucette said in a news release.
“Although there is no allegation of a physical assault, a man offering to pay a young girl for sex is concerning. We would like to identify him to help us determine if he is a risk to youth in the area.”
Detectives are asking anyone who has any information regarding this incident, or who recognizes the man in the composite sketch, to contact the VPD Sex Crimes Unit at 604-717-2634 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.