FOUR boys were verbally abused by two men who offered them sweets, say police.

Officers are appealing for information after what they call the 'suspicious incident' on Norton Road in Stockton, Teesside.

The incident, on Sunday, happened on the North Academy side and in the direction of Mount Pleasant Road at 4.10pm.

The boys - aged between ten and 12 - noticed two men sitting on the metal fencing on the opposite side of the road which runs alongside some bushes between Willow View Care Home and Salisbury Terrace.

"Whilst on the other side of the road, the men shouted over to the boys to see if they wanted some sweets and then verbally abused them. The boys then ran off and no further communication was made from the men," said a police spokesperson.

"One of the men is described as being a white male in his 20s and he was wearing an Adidas t-shirt and shorts and had a large amount of bruising to his face. The other male was also white and around the same age and he was wearing a black jacket and grey jogging bottoms and is described as having rotten teeth."

  • Anyone with information regarding the men or who was around at the time of the incident is asked to contact PC Matt Carr from Cleveland Police on 101 quoting event number 044880. Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.