Parents urged to be on guard after Cork boy’s disappearance

The Irish Society for the Prevention Cruelty to Children has warned parents to be on their guard following the disappearance of 11-year-old Robert Holohan in Co Cork last week.

Gardaí appear to be baffled by the disappearance and have not ruled out the possibility that the youngster may have been abducted.

The 11-year-old has not been seen since leaving his home near Midleton last Tuesday. His bicyle was subsequently found in a ditch.

ISPCC chief executive Paul Gilligan said: "It's a most unusual situation for a child to go missing for such a length of time. I think that parents, quite rightly, are concerned.

"What we have to do is accept that, number one, our children will be worried themselves and that parents need to talk to them in an open and age-appropriate manner and, secondly, without panicking and without being inappropriately cautious, we need to take child protection measures."