THE detective leading the hunt for a paedophile who grabbed a six-year-old girl from her bath appealed to her abductor last night.

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Napier told the man to give himself up.

Police believe the child was taken from her home by a stranger, subjected to a sexual assault, then dumped naked in a snowy street close to her home, in North Tyneside, on Tuesday night.

She has told her family about her ordeal with a "nasty man" and is now recovering with relatives.

Det Chief Insp Napier said: "We have had an excellent response to our appeals for information, and are following up a number of lines of inquiry as a result of those appeals.

"All of this information is bringing us ever closer to finding the man who did this.

"I would therefore say to that individual, 'Come forward now and get this off your chest before we find you'.

"I would also say to this man 'I have a team of highly-trained, experienced detectives who are working with the sole aim of finding you'.

"We are determined to bring this investigation to a swift, satisfactory conclusion.

"The little girl is home, she's safe and well with her family, and is continuing to make excellent progress in getting over this traumatic experience."

Det Chief Insp Napier thanked the public for the "vital help" they have provided, as well as for sending their good wishes to the victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

The victim's grandmother told newspapers: "She seems to be coping well, though you never know what is going on underneath.

"She has been talking about the nasty man who took her away from the house, and the nice man who found her crying."

The grandmother, who lives in County Durham, added: "We have all been crying and crying, but we all know it could have been even worse.

"We could have lost her. She was out there stark naked."

Police appealed for anyone who saw a man acting suspiciously in the Willington Quay area, on Tuesday evening, to come forward.

The incident room number is 0191-214 6555, extension 63806.