A MAN was sexually assaulted as he sat by the memorial to Red Arrow Jon Egging last week, police say.

The victim, 22, was sitting on a bench near the East Cliff artwork at 8.30pm on Tuesday, January 28 when he was approached by a man who said his name was Michael.

'Michael' then began to tell the victim about his family, and said he used to work as a chef in Boscombe.

He sat next to the victim before touching him over his clothing.

The victim immediately got up and walked away.

Officers are searching for a man in his 50s who is around five feet seven inches tall, and has large eyes and facial stubble.

He was wearing a black Puffa-style jacket, dark tracksuit bottoms with white stripes down the leg and a black cap. He also told the victim he was Russian and Turkish, and the victim described him as speaking with a foreign accent.

PC Alex Browning, of Bournemouth police, said: “The victim was understandably left shaken by this incident and we are carrying out a detailed investigation to identify the man responsible."

Anyone with information on the man's identity should contact police via dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55200014665.