Gardai in Nenagh, Co Tipperary are investigating the attempted abduction of an 11-yearold girl yesterday morning. She was waiting for a school bus when she was offered a lift by a stranger who addressed her by her Christian name.
The incident occurred just before 9 a.m., when a blue van drew up and one of the occupants called the child. She was told the school bus would not be coming and invited to "come with us". Instead, she ran back home and told her mother. When the girl's mother arrived at the bus stop, she saw the van disappearing out of the estate.
There were also reports yesterday of a similar incident in the Nenagh area involving a young boy, but so far this has not been confirmed.
In Dublin a man and woman held for questioning in connection with a suspected abduction attempt on a 10-year-old girl were released from custody without charge at Balbriggan Garda station.
It had been reported that a vehicle used by the couple was similar to the one reported in connection with several abduction attempts in the west of Ireland since Christmas. Two weeks ago a Dublin fireman reported that his six-yearold daughter and her two friends were offered toys and sweets near their Walkinstown homes by a strange woman posing as a family friend. He believed one or all of them could have been abducted if they had not had sense enough to decline.
Although none of them had ever seen the woman before, she knew the children's names and said she was a friend of one of their aunts.