A man is being held by police on suspicion of raping a boy after he tricked him, saying he had "lost" his dog.

The offender promised £10 to the 12-year-old if he helped search for his pet. The man then led him to a nearby wooded area, in Blackburn, Lancashire, where he sexually assaulted the boy.

Police said the man struck as the boy walked near his home in the Sudellside area of Darwen.

The youngster tried in vain to escape when he realised he had been lured into the woods in Marsh House but was brutally attacked.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "The attack may have lasted for some time but at this stage it is unclear how long. On conclusion of the harrowing incident the victim has managed to get to a nearby road and flag down a passing vehicle who has taken him home and it is then that the incident has been reported to police.

"A 44-year-old man has been arrested in the Darwen area on suspicion of rape."

Police are appealing for anybody who may have seen or heard anything to come forward.

They would particularly like anybody who may have been approached by a man claiming to have lost his dog to ring Blackburn Police on 01254 51212.

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