The father of an eight-year-old boy who was sexually assaulted at a Highland campsite witnessed the suspect walking away from his son's tent, police have revealed. The traumatic incident occurred at Loch Ness Bay campsite near Drumnadrochit in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Detective Superintendent Calum Smith said the young victim had been left "traumatised and upset" by the attack, which took place before 1am. Police Scotland have launched a significant investigation with dedicated resources working "every day" to identify and apprehend the suspect.
Father confronted fleeing suspect
The child was sleeping in his tent when an unknown man approached and carried out the sexual assault. The boy's family were staying in an adjacent tent at the campsite south of Inverness.
Smith told the PA news agency that the father overheard the incident and immediately came outside. "At the time, the father has overheard the incident, has come out, and has seen the man walking away from the tent," he explained.
Police describe suspect details
The suspect is described as a bald man aged between 35 and 50 years old, standing approximately 5ft 10in tall. When confronted by the boy's father, who asked what he was doing, the man spoke back before walking away from the scene.
Officers are keeping an open mind about whether the suspect was staying at the campsite or had travelled there specifically. Smith emphasised that whilst CCTV cameras operate at the site, the actual incident was not captured on camera.
Investigation receives public support
The detective superintendent praised the public response to appeals for information, describing it as "excellent" so far. Police are asking anyone who was in the area at the time to come forward with any relevant details.
Smith acknowledged the community's distress over the incident, saying: "I fully understand that the public will be upset with what's happened and distressed with this incident happening in the local area." He assured residents that dedicated resources are working daily towards resolving the case and bringing the perpetrator to justice.
Specialist support provided
The young victim and his family are receiving support from specialist officers as they cope with the aftermath of the attack. Smith described such incidents as "reassuringly very, very rare" but acknowledged this was "a very distressing, horrible incident that we need to resolve".
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0167 of July 31st.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
