A pervert who used the promise of pornography to entice three young boys off a woodland footpath before exposing himself to them is being hunted by Brentwood police.
None of the three boys, aged around 11, were physically harmed in the incident, which took place in woods close to Madeira Walk.
But detectives have this week issued an urgent appeal for witnesses and information amid fears that the man - who spoke with a local accent - could still be at large in the area.
The incident, which happened on Sunday, July 14, was revealed on Tuesday while the desperate search for missing 10-year-old Cambridgeshire schoolgirls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman continued to hog the headlines.
Sgt Piers Quinnell of Brentwood Police said the three friends had been standing in a group when they were approached by a stranger who spoke to them.
After chatting briefly, he produced a pornographic magazine and offered to show them the pictures inside.
The boys then followed him into the woods where he performed what Sgt Quinnell described "as act of gross indecency" in front of them before running off.
He is described as white, around 5ft 8in tall, with a proportionate build and cropped light-brown hair.
At the time of the incident, between 4pm and 4.45pm, he was wearing sunglasses, a light-coloured T-shirt, beige shorts, a white and beige baseball cap, and beige shoes.
Officers at Brentwood CID are keen to speak to anyone with information relating to the incident, or who may have seen a man fitting this description in the area.
Published Friday August 16, 2002
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