Gardaí bid to trace boy in care abducted by parents

GARDAÍ are trying to locate a 12-year-old boy who was abducted by his biological parents just weeks after he had been entrusted to the care of a foster family.

It is believed the boy’s natural parents took him from the care of a social worker after a meeting near a Burgerland restaurant in Cork’s Blackpool Shopping Centre on Tuesday of last week. It is understood a court had recently ordered the boy should stay with his foster carers in Mallow, Co Cork, until he turned 18.

However, on the access visit on April 26 last, when the boy was accompanied by a sister who is in the care of another family, and a social worker, he was taken by his natural parents.

It is understood this is the second time the boy’s natural parents, who are believed to be from Co Monaghan and Dundalk, have taken the child in recent years.

Gardaí believe the trio may have travelled out of the jurisdiction. According to one source close to the case, the runaway family were reported to be in Monaghan but gardaí have failed to locate them. It is also understood the parents wanted to take their daughter, but she refused.

A garda spokesman said they were investigating the matter and wished to make contact with the boy. “We are investigating and are appealing for assistance from the public,” he said.

A man close to the case questioned why the access visit took place in a shopping centre and said it did not seem like “protocol”, but a spokesman for the HSE Southern Area said each visitation was considered on a case-by-case basis. She said visitations are sometimes held at a family home and at other times at a centre allocated for visitations in Cork city.

“There are occasions when parents do not consent to children being in care, even though there is a care order in place and this lends itself to cases where children might be removed from the care of the authority of the Health Service Executive,” she said. “When a child is removed without authority, all efforts are made by the social worker department to negotiate the safe return of the child.”

Anyone with any information should contact Mayfield Garda Station at 021-458510 or gardaí in Watercourse Road at 021-4558510.