Man, 20s, arrested over apparent attempt to abduct toddler in Dublin
A man has been arrested after an apparent attempt to kidnap a two-year-old child in Dublin city.
The little boy was in a pram outside his home on Sheriff Street in Dublin’s north inner city around 12pm today when a man reportedly shouting “I want the baby” attempted to abduct him, it is understood.
The child's mother had been about to leave the house with her son when she went back in for seconds to get something, leaving her child in the pram at their front door. When she came back moments later, a man, aged in his 20s, was trying to take her baby, it is understood.
Local residents saw the man with the child and intervened.
Gardaí arrested him a short time later.
It is not believed that the man knew the child and the apparent attempted abduction appears to be random in nature.
The suspect was reportedly shouting “I want the baby!” as he tried to take the child from its pram at the front door of his home, Nial Ring, Independent Councillor for Dublin North Inner City said.
"The girl was going out with her baby, she just popped back into the house for one second to get her bag, or whatever, and the baby was in the pram just at the front door," Mr Ring said.
"When she came out, this guy was at the pram trying to take the child out. It was very scary for her. Of course she went hysterical and another local fellow came around and another girl. They held him and the guards arrived very quickly and arrested him.
“Your man apparently was shouting: 'Give me the baby! I want the baby!'
"It was a horrific thing to happen. But the great thing about Sheriff Street is the closeness of the community. People look out for each other all the time. So someone spotted something unusual happening and came to the baby’s rescue."
The mother did not know the suspect and no one else at the scene knew him locally, Mr Ring said.
A statement from gardaí said: “Gardaí from Store Street responded to an incident in the Sheriff Street area of Dublin 1 shortly after 12 noon on Thursday.
“A man, aged in his late 20s, was arrested at the scene for an alleged offence under the Non-Fatal Offenses Against the Person Act, 1997, and is currently detained at a Garda Station in the Dublin Region under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
“An Garda Síochána is currently investigating and verifying the details of this incident.
“Enquiries are ongoing.”
