‘Three brave children’ praised for actions during attempted abduction

A circuit court judge praised the actions of three brave children, the gardaí, and the local community as he jailed a man for 13 years for trying to abduct a girl in Co Laois last March.

Michael Martin, aged 36, a Dublin native with an address at Shandon Court, Yellow Road, Waterford City, was sentenced to 17 years with four suspended for false imprisonment at Portlaoise Circuit Court yesterday. He had 92 previous convictions at the time of the offence.

Judge Keenan Johnson said: “The detection and apprehension of the accused was a great piece of detective work, which was aided by the keen observations of three children.”