'Pervert' at the lakes

The boys, described as in their 'preteens' were fishing at the Craigavon lakes on Tuesday around 2pm when a young man, thought to be in his 20s approached them.

He offered to fix their rods and help them fish but the boys, wary of the man, took off.

According to local councillor Johnny McGibbon as the boys were making their way home the man appeared out of the bushes and 'blatantly offered to engage in sexual acts with them'.

The boys then ran home and informed their parents who reported the incident to the police. Later a search was conducted in the area, but the man could not be found.

The man was seen leaving the area on a mountain bike.

"These two young lads showed a great deal of common sense for their ages and avoided the pervert’s attempts to engage with them," said Councillor McGibbon.

"His next victim may not be as keyed in to the danger as these boys were.

"There is a responsibility on all of us to protect the children within our society and that should be our main priority.

"Pass on what you know or suspect and let the PSNI decide the relevance or otherwise of any information we may have.”

The Sinn Fein man said there were several people who may have seen the incident or the man. He urged parents to ensure their children were aware of the dangers and told to avoid strangers.

The police have issued an appeal for information, they can be contacted on 0845 600 800.