A schoolgirl's hand is believed to have been slashed with a knife after a man followed her home from school.

Karen Evans is fearful of letting her daughter walk alone after the incident in Fountain Lane, Barming, Maidstone.

The 40-year-old said her 11-year-old child noticed a man started following her home from outside Barming Fish and Chips, in Tonbridge Road at around 3.15pm on Thursday, January 23.

The St Augustine Academy pupil usually walks back to their house in Barming with friends or joined by a large crowd as the children filter out the school grounds but her class was kept back late that day and she had no choice but to walk alone.

In St Andrew’s Road she began crossing over several times onto the other side of the pavement and each time he did the same.

As she stood at the junction for Hermitage Lane, opposite the Rockin Robin on the Green pub, she felt him brush against her.

She reported to police that the man tried to put his arm on the bag she was carrying and tried to open it.

When she crossed over towards Heath Road she saw blood pouring out.

Her mother described the injury on the top of her hand as a three inch slash and said it looked like something that would be caused by a Stanley knife.

She thinks the man was using a sharp object to cut open the girl's bag and caught her too.

The child tended to the wound herself before calling her mum to tell her what happened 45 minutes later.

Doctors had to apply two butterfly stitches to seal it.

Mrs Evans said: "I'm quite calm and collected in situations so I cleared it and made her re-enact it because I couldn't understand how it happened."

The school have had to call her several times asking her to pick her daughter up because she is upset.

“She is scared to walk home alone now. I’ve picked her up every night since but I am working for the next three days so she will have to walk alone.

“I’m not comfortable with it but she is going to have to do it.”

The mum said it was an unusual thing to happen in the area.

"Barming is quite a quiet place, not much goes on."

She hopes by sharing her daughter's story, other parents and children will be more vigilant.

Kent Police released an appeal about the incident earlier today.

Inquiries to establish the full circumstances of the incident are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call 01622 604100, quoting reference 46/15091/20 or call Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111.

To get the latest updates in ongoing cases, police appeals and criminals put behind bars, click here.

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