The mother of 13-year-old sexual assault victim contacted police 33 times without response after she located footage of a potential suspect.
Details have emerged as police confirmed they have arrested a 48-year-old man in connection with two sexual assaults in west Belfast last week.
The west Belfast women revealed how she was forced to go door-to-door in search of evidence after her daughter was attacked in the Upper Suffolk Road area last week.
Even though the sinister attack was reported to police, the worried mother went in search of camera footage in a bid to identify the suspect
One local man has now provided footage that includes images of a man the anxious mother believes attacked her daughter almost a week ago.
However, despite ringing police 33 times on Monday the determined mother received no response.
She told the Irish News how she eventually made contact with police outside a house in the Lenadoon after an angry crowd gathered at the address on Monday.
Hours earlier damage was caused to windows and doors of a house in the Ardcaoin area of Polegass.
Police have linked the attack to reports of an assault of a man on Suffolk Road on Sunday.
The male victim was assaulted after it was reported that he made remarks to a teenage girl that made her feel “uncomfortable”.
That incident took place just days after an attempt was made to sexually assault the 13-year-old girl a short distance away at Upper Suffolk Road.
The victim’s mother told the Irish News last week that her daughter was returning from a birthday celebration with a friend when they were approached by a man close to a derelict property.
The schoolgirl’s mother said the attacker approached her daughter from behind and tried to pull at her trousers before pushing her to the ground.
The distraught mother later branded the attacker “an animal” and “a monster”.
Police later confirmed they are investigating a “possible link” between the incident and reports of a separate sexual assault on a teenager in the Lagmore area the same evening.
The mother said had visited local houses in a bid to catch her young daughter’s attacker.
“The people in the houses have said they are more than happy for the police to come, to hand over their boxes, their drives, whatever they have, but nobody has yet came to the them,” she said.
“This is now….a week later almost.”
The woman said that when she eventually made contact with police after attending the Lenadoon protest she found an officer there that helped her.
Despite that she feels let down by the PSNI response and added that she intends to contact the Police Ombudsman.
“I am going to ring them…to put a complaint in that I feel that I have been failed, my child has been failed,” she said.
“Where is the duty of care to my child?”
A spokeswoman for the PSNI said police arrested a 48-year-old man after officers received information on Monday “in relation to two sexual assaults which were reported to have occurred in the area on Thursday, September 26″.
The spokeswoman added: “Our investigation into the reports is ongoing.
“The community should be assured that our officers are working at pace to gather sufficient evidence to build a robust case.”
The spokeswoman said that police “continue to liaise with the victims and community representatives in relation to their concerns”.
“Violence against women and girls is a priority for the Police Service of Northern Ireland,” she said.
“We are committed to pursuing those who perpetrate these offences.
“If anyone has a complaint about police actions they should contact the Office of the Police Ombudsman who will conduct an independent investigation.”
