A Liverpool nan says her grandson was approached by a man asking "come with me" before the schoolboy was chased as he tried to get away.
Police have confirmed three different children have claimed they were approached at around 9pm, on Sunday, July 11 near to Mab Lane Community Woodland, in Stockbridge Village.
The nan says her 12-year-old grandchild, was one of the boys the man had went up to.
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She told the ECHO the man asked her grandson to 'come with me' and then chased him when he ran away towards Steers Croft.
Sandra Perry said Aidan was out playing on fields near to Steers Croft when he came back and reported the incident to her.
The 56-year-old told the ECHO : "He seen this man coming towards him, he had something in his arms and went 'look I've got sweets here and toy in my pocket, come with me'.
"He's 12 years old so he knows better and he ran but he said the man started running behind him chasing him.
"He must have realised that he'd run faster than him so he turned back and then approached another little lad saying the same thing 'I've got sweets come here'.
"It happened to three kids."
Sandra added: "He [my grandson] ran around and we couldn't get any sense out of him.
"He couldn't breathe, so we gave him water an he just said ‘there's a man , the man.'"
Merseyside police have confirmed they received a report of a man acting suspiciously at Mab Lane Community Woodland, in Stockbridge Village.
The man is described as in his 40s, around 5ft 8inches tall, of slim build, with curly grey hair.
He was wearing a black woolly hat, a black raincoat, and trousers.
Community Policing Inspector Andrew Lloyd said: "We are taking this incident seriously and looking into the matter.
"The children did the right thing by letting someone know what happened, and we'd advise anyone faced with a similar situation to do the same thing.
"Officers are speaking to those affected to reassure them and obtain further details about what happened. I'd encourage anyone with information to speak to us if you see us locally, or give us a call on 101. You can also report or pass information online via our social media channels.
"While no-one was physically harmed during the incident, this man’s behaviour has understandably left a group of young people and their families feeling apprehensive, and we would urge anyone with dashcam footage from the Steers Croft area on Sunday to contact police or Crimestoppers with any information."
Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police's social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook 'Merseyside Police CC.'
You can also call 101, quoting incident reference 21000484969 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.
