West Midlands Police has had to defend itself against claims it was 'minimising' sexual assault while investigating an attack on a 12-year-old girl.

The force took to social media to ask for the public's help to identify a man officers wish to speak to following an incident at Crystal Leisure Centre in Stourbridge.

Alongside the photograph of a man in red trunks, the force tweeted: "We want to identify this man after a girl was sexually assaulted at a leisure centre in Stourbridge.

Do you know this man?

"It happened at the Crystal Leisure Centre, Bell Street, at around 5.15pm on June 30 and the 12-year-old victim was unhurt."

The wording of the brief appeal was labeled 'dangerous' by Samantha Billingham, who runs support group SODA (Survivors of Domestic Abuse) - and she was quick to share her concerns.

Replying to the original post from Dudley Police, she said: "Sad to see that you are minimising sexual assault.

"The young girl might not be physically unhurt but psychologically she is scarred for life.

"A complete lack of understanding and comments like this is just one reason why this type of crime goes under-reported.

"I'm also concerned by this tweet that witnesses might not come forward with vital evidence because of the minimising of this horrific crime this young girl experienced."

Help for domestic violence, forced marriage, rape or sexual assault

ROSHNI operates emergency refuge accommodation to victims or survivors of domestic abuse, honour based abuse, forced marriage, rape or sexual assault who need to leave home.

They aim to provide a safe, secure environment for South Asian women and children.

The staff can speak Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali and Mirpuri.

You can call them 24 hours a day on 07958498449 or 0800 9539 666.

Panahghar helps victims of domestic or sexual violence and abuse. They offer a place to talk in confidence, advice and information and a safe place to stay.

You can call them 24 hours a day on their freephone helpline 0800 055 6519

Right to Choose offers confidential empathetic and non-judgemental support over the phone for victims and survivors from the age of 13 in the West Midlands.

Anyone suffering with problems such as honour based abuse and forced marriage can call their multi-lingual helpline.

The number for the 24 hour line is 0800 953 9777.

Replying to a follower who shared her view, Ms Billingham added: "It's a dangerous tweet. It's a really worrying and concerning tweet in all honesty.

"There might be no visible harm done to the young girl but the invisible scars are there.

"If the police don't know that, how can they protect people from such crimes These tweets don't help others."

West Midlands Police responded to Ms Billingham's tweets after being approached by Black Country Live for comment.

A spokesman for the force said: "We understand the psychological impact that sexual assaults have on people. On this occasion we were highlighting the fact that thankfully this was not a case where the girl was physically injured.

"This does not affect our determination to find the person responsible and bring him to justice.

"A specialist detective from our child abuse investigation team is leading the investigation. We fully understand the impact assaults like this have and have taken a crucial step forward in trying to identify the suspect by issuing this appeal. As a direct result, a number of people have come forward with new lines of enquiry.

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"We took a statement from the victim shortly after the incident, at her home in the presence of her father and we continue to provide them with support from our specially trained officers.

"The victim and her family are being kept fully up to date with the progress of our investigation and were supportive of our witness appeal."

Ms Billingham replied: "Thank you for tweeting and explaining things to me because myself and half of Twitter read the tweet by @DudleyPolice as my minimising the crime. It's really important tweets are worded correctly to send a stronger message and a clear one."

Anyone with information regarding the appeal is urged to contact the force via Live Chat at  www.west-midlands.pnn.police.uk between 8am and midnight, quoting crime reference number 20DY/158361G/19.

Alternatively, people can call 101 anytime.