Police are hunting a man accused of repeatedly enticing a nine-year-old boy into bushes at Wollongong Botanic Garden this afternoon.
The boy has told police he rebuffed the stranger’s invitations twice before he and a six-year-old friend moved to a more secluded area of the gardens.
There, the man picked him up, covered his mouth and edged towards the bushes, the boy claims.
The boy elbowed the man and managed to free himself before he and his friend raised the alarm with a group of strangers.
Up to 12 police later searched the gardens.
The man was last seen running towards the Conservatorium of Music.
He wore a grey short-sleeved T-shirt with a white face printed on the front; white shorts - stopping just above the knee - a grey cap and dark-tinted glasses.
He carried a green Woolworths ‘‘enviro’’ shopping bag and is described as about 40 years old, 170cms tall, with a medium build and short, shaven grey hair. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call CrimeStoppers - 1800 333 000.
More details in tomorrow’s Mercury.