Dromore on abduction alert

Dromore High School and primary schools in the town have issued an alert to parents following an attempted abduction of a child on Tuesday.

The mother of the nine year-old girl has spoken of her distress following the incident when a man grabbed her daughter by her schoolbag and attempted to pull her back into a car at Mount Street.

The girl pulled away from him and ran into a nearby shop.

The man grabbed the P5 pupil in broad daylight, just minutes from her school. She was walking to meet her mother in Dromore just before 2pm on Tuesday afternoon.

In a matter of seconds and at the same time as she heard voices nearby, the man let go of the young girl and she ran to the nearby St Vincent de Paul charity shop in Mount
Street.

The school children had been let out early due to parent-teacher meetings and Mount Street is thought to have been relatively busy at the time.

A family friend who was in the shop at the time said: “Both the child and her mum are still in a state of shock.

“The wee girl was very pale, you could tell something had happened.

“She told us immediately and we ran outside but the man was gone.

“Thinking of what might have happened had the passers-by not disturbed the man does not bear thinking about,” the friend added.

Linda Allen, principal of Dromore Central PS, said the school took action as quickly they could.

“It is a very upsetting thing to have happened,” said Mrs Allen.

“Thankfully the child is fine as she managed to break away.

“As a result of what has happened we are asking parents to be vigilant and be aware.

“We have already spoken to the children, reminding them of ‘stranger danger’.

“We do not want to cause undue anxiety or upset, but we thought it was wise to send a letter out as soon as possible.”

The male involved in this incident is described as being approximately 5ft 10in tall, white with a clean shaven complexion and short, black
hair.

He was wearing a red and black checked shirt and blue jeans.

It is believed the car was a dark colour - between grey and silver.

Police are appealing for information and asking anyone who witnessed this incident to contact them in Banbridge on 0845 600 8000, quoting ref: 599110314.

Related topics: