Old Farnley Community Centre is running free self defence workshops for young people following allegations of a serious sexual assault on a girl earlier this week.
The sessions are aimed at both boys and girls aged between 11 and 18, and will be run by Mandeep Sehmi – better known as Monty, from Beeston-based Monty’s School Of Kickboxing (MSK).
Peter Allison, chair of Old Farnley and District Community Association, posted an appeal on social media for someone to run the sessions earlier this week following feedback from concerned parents. He added:
“Monty from has kindly offered his time to teach basic defence classes. The purpose of these sessions will be to enable an individual to break away from grapples and defend themselves to be able to get away to safety and raise the alarm.”
Girls’ sessions start on Thursday, 20 January from 5pm to 6pm for three weeks for those aged 11-18.
Boys can also be just as vulnerable, so starting on Thursday, 10 February from 5pm-6pm for three weeks it will be a boys-only session for those aged 11-18.
Bookings can be made here. For more information, e-mail Farnleycommunitycentre@gmail.com.
Police have said
The sessions come after a report serious sexual assault on a child on a woodland path running between Farnley Academy and Maple Croft in Farnley was proven to be false.
UPDATE 2.28pm Monday 10 January: This story was amended to clarify that the alleged assault was proven to be a false report to police.