A schoolgirl was sexually assaulted by a man pretending to be a plumber CC Metropolitan Police

Video footage of a man sought in connection with an assault on a schoolgirl has been released by police.

The schoolgirl was sexually assaulted after a man pretending to be a plumber tricked his way into her home in Canrobert Street, Bethnal Green.

The incident, occurred at around 6:25pm on May 14 and left the, 12 year old schoolgirl “utterly traumatised”.

The victim and a school friend were home alone when a man buzzed the intercom saying he had a package to deliver to the girl’s address.

Once he had tricked his way into the building, the unknown man changed the story and claimed to be a plumber who was there to fix their washing machine when he came into the flat.

At this point the young girl became worried and called 999, as the man said he needed to use the bathroom and went upstairs. The victim followed him when he pushed her into a bedroom and sexually assaulted her, fleeing the flat straight after the assault.

It is thought that the man then went into a mini cab office in the area and hired a cab to drop him off at St Stephen’s Road in Bethnal Green.

The CCTV footage is of a man emerging the block of flats around the time of the incident. Detectives are looking for the man in the CCTV footage as it is believed he may provide them with crucial information about the incident.

The man is thought to be of South Asian descent, aged in his 30s, with short, dark hair. In the CCTV images he appears to be wearing a light coloured short-sleeved shirt and dark trousers, with a small satchel across his chest.

At the time of the incident a 22 year old man from Tower Hamlets was arrested but then released with no charges.

DC Dean Simpson has said, “The victim has been utterly traumatized by what happened to her and we are working with her family to support her.”

“We are extremely keen to speak to this man, who we believe may have information that could assist the investigation.”

Asked why it has taken this long for the police to release the video footage a police spokesman has said, “CCTV will be released when appropriate and within the bounds of how the investigation is going.”