Police are calling on the public to help them find a home intruder who attempted to sexually assault a primary school-aged child in their home on the outskirts of Darwin.
Police were called at about 2.30pm yesterday when residents of a house in Driver, a suburb of Palmerston, arrived home and found a man allegedly "attempting to sexually assault a child".
During a press conference on Thursday, NT Police Commander Sachin Sharma said the child was between six and 10 years old.
"The intruder then left, naked, from the house," Commander Sharma said.
He said witnesses had seen the man heading towards Widdup Crescent and Mahony Circuit, but lost of sight of him after that.
It's unknown if he is still in the Driver area.
The NT Police Crime and Sex Crime units are investigating the incident, with detectives currently examining forensic evidence, collecting witness statements and door-knocking in the area.
The investigation is focused on between 2pm to 3pm on Wednesday and the following streets: Driver Avenue, Elrundie Avenue, Widdup Crescent, Wilfred Court, Mahony Circuit, Greer Court, Lillian Court and Waterhouse Crescent.
Commander Sharma described the alleged offender as about 150cm tall, with dark skin, a stocky build and short-cropped hair.
He urged anyone who might have seen something or have CCTV footage from the area to come forward, as well as anyone who may have seen a man matching that description elsewhere.
"There's nothing we're leaving unturned, to get this person who's responsible for this," he said.
He urged people in the area to stay calm and to call the police if they saw any sign of the man.
"We don't want people to be alarmed," he said.
"Be vigilant [and] look after each other."
The child and their family are being looked after by police.
