Italian police hunt for son of Irish mother

ITALIAN police searching for the 18-month-old son of a Kerry mother believe the child is still in the Naples area with his Romanian father.

There had been fears the father, who snatched the child from his partner, Mary O’Sullivan, 20, from Tralee, may have fled to Romania.

However, Mary’s mother, Ann, said yesterday police were confident the child had not left Naples.

“We have to keep up heart. Otherwise, we couldn’t go on,” she added.

Mary, who has said all she wants is to return to Tralee with little Joshua, is still staying in a convent, where she was sent by police after making her ‘escape’ from her partner, Marcel Manlacky, and his family.

Her six-month-old daughter, Rosa, is with her.

“The nuns are very good to her, but any time she wants to go out she has to have police with her,” said her mother.

“She’s keeping up her spirits as best she can and everyone is being very helpful. Some people have offered to raise funds to bring Mary and her children home.

“We’re receiving a lot of messages of support and everyone is praying for them,” said Ann.

The Irish consulate in Naples is also involved.

Mary went to Italy last July with her partner, who had been seeking asylum in Ireland. But, she was shocked to find his gypsy family of nine living under a bridge in Naples.

She claimed she was beaten repeatedly by members of her partner’s family and decided to escape from them at the first opportunity.

She said she awoke one morning at 5.30 and crept out from under the bridge with baby Rosa. She eventually contacted police, who found shelter for her in a convent.

However, by the time the police got back to the family’s shack, the family had moved on, taking Joshua with them.