A 12-year-old girl was raped in the woods after she was groomed online by a "manipulative" older man.

Police are appealing to people in Worthing and Angmering for information about any sightings of a silver or grey Fiat Punto containing a young man and a young girl, following the rape of the girl in woods in Angmering early last month.

The girl, who comes from Worthing, had been in contact with a young man who said he was 18, in early June, online through two phone apps, Whisper and Kik, and arranged to meet him.

They first met at about 3pm on Friday June 5, when he picked her up from outside Goring railway station in a silver or grey Fiat Punto. They drove to the car park at the end of Angmering High Street, opposite Manor Nurseries where they parked and kissed for a while. He then dropped her off back in Worthing.

They then met again two days later at about midday on Sunday June 7 outside Tesco Express in Rectory Road, Worthing and drove to the same place in Angmering.

From there they walked south down a track parallel to the A280 and alongside Manor Nurseries to a wooded area, where they had sexual intercourse, stopping when they saw some dog walkers nearby.

The incidents were not reported to the police until June 25.

Detective Constable Lee Simmonds said; "This is a clear case of a naive, vulnerable and trusting 12-year old girl being groomed online by a manipulative older man, whose exact age is not yet clear.

"He is described as white, aged about 18, about 6'1" and of slim build, with short black hair in a quiff.

"Do you recall seeing them or the car at any point in Worthing or Angmering on those days ? If you did, please contact us via 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or call us on 101, quoting serial 1356 of June 25.

"This case is another example of what can result from unwary and unsupervised use of the web by young people who need to be really careful in their contacts with people they do not know."