Gardaí investigate alleged daytime child abduction attempt

GARDAÍ say they are taking “seriously” an allegation of attempted child abduction, which is said to have occurred in broad daylight in a Co Cork town.

The eight-year-old boy was walking on his own in a suburb of Cobh at lunchtime yesterday when he was approached by a man driving what was described as either a small black car or van.

A senior Garda spokesman said the boy was walking in the Rushbrooke area at about 1.30pm when the vehicle passed up from behind him, turned a short distance up the road and came back.

“The driver then wound down the window and asked the boy if he wanted a lift home. The boy said ‘no’ and then did the right thing by walking away,” said the Garda spokesman.

The boy did not know the driver of the car and immediately went home. He reported the incident to his parents, who took him straight to the local Garda station where he was interviewed by gardaí.

Gardaí searched the area, but were unable to locate the vehicle or the driver.

Last night they continued to conduct house-to-house inquiries and were trawling through CCTV footage, in an attempt to get an accurate description of the vehicle and its registration number, which would enable them to trace it.

It is believed that there was only one occupant of the van, but gardaí said that for operational reasons they were reluctant to release any description of the driver at this stage.

“We are taking this seriously, but at the same time we don’t want people to be overly alarmed,” said the spokesman.

“Having said that, we would still advise parents to be very vigilant and to remind their children that they shouldn’t ever take lifts from strangers.”

He said that gardaí were anxious to hear from anybody who was in the general Rushbrooke area between midday and 2pm yesterday who may have seen a single male occupant of a vehicle driving in a suspicious manner.

Anybody with information is asked to contact Cobh Garda Station at 021 4908530.