Man held after girl, 12, is stabbed

A man has been arrested after a 12-year-old girl was stabbed in Greater Manchester.

The youngster was taken to hospital with a punctured lung after she was stabbed twice in the back in Wigan, Lancashire on Wednesday afternoon.

Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening and her condition is described as stable.

A 31-year-old man was arrested a short time later on suspicion of assault and remains in custody for questioning.

Detective Chief Inspector Howard Millington from Wigan CID said: “This incident is understandably going to cause concern in the local community.

“However, I would like to try and reassure people that this was an isolated incident and a man was arrested shortly afterwards. He remains in custody where we are continuing to question him.

“There are extra officers patrolling in the area to provide reassurance to residents and if anyone has any concerns or has information they wish to pass to police about this incident, they can either speak directly to these officers or call us.”

Police were called to the incident in Stranraer Road, Marsh Green, at 4.15 p.m.