Jessica, 14, suffered multiple knife wounds after being attacked while walking through Astley Park in Chorley, Lancashire, at around 5.15pm on Monday.

She is now fighting for her life in hospital amid reports she may have been stabbed up to 30 times.

Screams rang out, alerting members of the public, and a cyclist in the park found the youngster "covered in blood".

Two other people walking in the park helped the stricken teenager, who was given first aid before being rushed away in an ambulance.

Jessica underwent five hours of emergency surgery at Chorley Hospital after the attack and is now in a stable, but critical, condition with her family at her bedside.

She was spotted by the cyclist lying unconscious on the pathway in the park.

A second man, Simon Corlson, 52, a project manager, dialled 999 on his mobile phone and then fetched a blanket from his car.

He said: "A policeman told me later that she'd been stabbed 30 times. But I only saw two of the wounds - one to her cheek, the other to her neck, pumping blood."

Jean McGrath, head of Parklands High School in Chorley, where Jessica is a pupil, said, "We were all shocked and distressed to hear of the attack on Jessica. She is a lovely, hard working girl. We hope and pray she will recover soon."