Parents and children in the Shankill area of Dublin have been warned to be vigilant after a man tried to entice three young girls into his car.
Gardaí said they were treating the Shankill incident as a possible attempted abduction. They are investigating the possibility that the incident on Wednesday is linked to a similar approach made to three young girls in Dundalk, Co Louth last week.
The girls , two 12-year- olds and a 13- year-old, were walking home along the Shanganagh road between Bray and Shankill when a man driving a new, gold coloured Fiat Punto pulled up beside them. He rolled down the passenger window and gestured for the three to get in beside him. As they backed away he patted the passenger seat and said "girls, girls, girls". He then waved a €10 note at them. They turned down a side road and he drove off.
The girls told their parents who immediately informed gardaí. A description of the man was issued last night. He was in his 50 or 60s, with grey hair and glasses. Gardaí suspect the same man may have been involved in two other incidents in the Louth area in recent weeks.
He was described as being in his 30s or 40s, with short brown hair, glasses and an earring.Yesterday one of the girls approached in Dublin said the episode had left her "pretty scared". "He was saying 'girls, girls' to us and patting the seat. We just walked off and got away from him," she said. "We looked back and he was waving the money at us, Then we went home and told mum what happened."