Attempted Child Abductions

josip

When was the last time a child was actually abducted in Ireland by a stranger?


I'm asking because for the last few months, I've been seeing almost weekly warnings of attempted abductions around Dublin.
Many of these are being sent by schools and are being investigated by Gardai so I'm assuming they're genuine.


But I can't find the last time a child was abducted unless I go back to Philip Cairns or Mary Boyle.


Are all these reported abductions genuine?
Are kids just better educated now about being wary of strangers?
Or do we hear now about all the attempts thanks to social media, whereas in the past we were blissfully unaware.

Bob Harris

You'd want to be fairly useless not to be able to abduct a child.

Professor Moriarty

Bob Harris wrote: »

You'd want to be fairly useless not to be able to abduct a child.

'Useless' isn't an adjective I would use to describe a person who tries to abduct children.

Bob Harris

Professor Moriarty wrote: »

'Useless' isn't an adjective I would use to describe a person who tries to abduct children.

Incompetent?

Professor Moriarty

Bob Harris wrote: »

Incompetent?

Nope. Think outside the box.

Grayson

I don't know about Ireland. I did read an article about whatsapp messages in India where people in a town get a message about a group of abductors heading to a town. the message is forwarded around the town and then the next group of strangers who go through get lynched.

I used to always see people sharing messages about missing kids on facebook. But when you google the kids name you discover that they disappeared for 6 hours, two years ago and the kid is perfectly safe. I say I used to see those messages because I've just stopped checking facebook.

I honestly can't remember hearing about an abduction or attempted abduction in Ireland for years.

TheBoyConor

An 18 year old girl was the target of an attempted abduction by three men in a van in Derry recently.

What the hell is wrong with these people?

seamus

Are they actually being investigated by the Gardai or is it a Facebook post saying, "This has been reported to the guards, keep an eye out!!!!1"

KungPao

Facebook nonsense mostly. There isn’t a creepy man in a van on every street corner, with sweets trying to lure kids in.

The vast majority of fiddling and all that is by a family member. Unless it’s Rotherham or Birmingham etc in England, then you need to watch out for certain types of people. They are animals.

tigger123

josip wrote: »

When was the last time a child was actually abducted in Ireland by a stranger?


I'm asking because for the last few months, I've been seeing almost weekly warnings of attempted abductions around Dublin.
Many of these are being sent by schools and are being investigated by Gardai so I'm assuming they're genuine.


But I can't find the last time a child was abducted unless I go back to Philip Cairns or Mary Boyle.


Are all these reported abductions genuine?
Are kids just better educated now about being wary of strangers?
Or do we hear now about all the attempts thanks to social media, whereas in the past we were blissfully unaware.

You'd wonder if these things are a case of chinese whispers either. If the school gets wind of it they'd have to do the safe thing and make parents aware. Which in turn means that that the Gardaí have to look into it.

tigger123

Like the Momo challenge stuff. It was started by some idiot on Facebook.

Undividual

tigger123 wrote: »

You'd wonder if these things are a case of chinese whispers either.

Wow, ok... Problematic. They're called Asians?

DarTipp

you'd have to to back to the 80s Philip cairns for one, there was an abduction a few years ago in co laois afaik of a brother and sister but the gardai caught the guy responsible

Undividual

tigger123 wrote: »

Like the Momo challenge stuff. It was started by some idiot on Facebook.

Wasn't that a hoax?

Bob Harris

TheBoyConor wrote: »

An 18 year old girl was the target of an attempted abduction by three men in a van in Derry recently.

What the hell is wrong with these people?

You'd wonder, 3 grown men unable to abduct an 18 year old. Useless.

Hurrache

seamus wrote: »

Are they actually being investigated by the Gardai or is it a Facebook post saying, "This has been reported to the guards, keep an eye out!!!!1"

IMO they're just made up for ****s and giggles. We had one sent to our community group a few weeks ago, Chinese whispers as it was forwarded from somewhere else nearby, It's hard not to call it out as bull**** publicly as you'll always upset some people.

I don't think it was a coincidence it was sent the week after this
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47719257

A series of unprovoked vigilante attacks on France's Roma community have erupted after false reports spread online about child abductions.

But police say the warnings of a "man in a white van" kidnapping children off the streets are "totally unfounded".

Some 20 people were arrested on Monday night after attacking the Roma community with makeshift weapons.

A police chief in one of the suburbs warned officers of "a psychosis that is starting to set in."

Claims of a man in a van abducting children and others - reportedly to fuel prostitution rings or the illegal organ trade - have been circulating online in recent weeks.

Sometimes the van is red, or yellow, in a different region, or of Bulgarian or Romanian origin. The reports have spread rapidly on Whatsapp, Snapchat, and other social media networks.

But there is no evidence of any of them.

KungPao

Bob Harris wrote: »

You'd want to be fairly useless not to be able to abduct a child.

Childhood obesity is a problem these days for abductors.

Need a hand getting them in the van.

Kenny Logins

TheBoyConor wrote: »

An 18 year old girl was the target of an attempted abduction by three men in a van in Derry recently.

What the hell is wrong with these people?

https://www.facebook.com/PSNI.Foyle/photos/a.384670338247893/2159405867440989/?type=3&theater

whiskeyman

I blame the reducing of size of chocolate bars and removal of various E numbers from sweets.

You just can't lure them in these days...

Yurt2

I really wonder where the whole "man in a white van" thing came from? I thought it was just an Irish / British thing, but apparently in France white vans are associated with conspicuous child abductors too.

spockety

This is the last one I can remember which made me stop and think that while 99.99% of the stories are just scare stories, the real ones that make up the other 0.01% are utterly horrific, and they do happen.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/man-who-raped-girls-in-athlone-gets-two-life-sentences-1.1711509

granturismo

Undividual wrote: »

Wasn't that a hoax?

Thats the point - the same as some of these white van reports, they're hoaxes.

.......

granturismo wrote: »

Thats the point - the same as some of these white van reports, they're hoaxes.

Facebook is a magnet for fools to share nonsense.

No one checks sources. Its just reactionary. I unfollow anyone who posts or shares hoax rubbish.

The problem is that occasionally the FB sharing is timely and useful - like the case of the Icelandic man who went missing (still not found?).

But for every real story there are a hundred pics of a random guy in a car saying he is a pedo and on his way to your town.

Hector Savage

Was it someone in a white van op ?

Hector Savage

spockety wrote: »

This is the last one I can remember which made me stop and think that while 99.99% of the stories are just scare stories, the real ones that make up the other 0.01% are utterly horrific, and they do happen.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/man-who-raped-girls-in-athlone-gets-two-life-sentences-1.1711509

f*cking horrific.

Really hoping this c*nt gets some "treatment" by other inmates.
Normally I wouldn't go for vigilante justice but this c*nt should suffer.

mariaalice

They do happen they might be rare but it does happen anytime this comes up on boards someone will come on and tell a story something that happened to them as child there are strange people out there.

30 years ago I was an adult and mother, I came across a man young looking who was masturbating in his car while looking at children when he realised he has been caught he speed off then parked in a quiet area got out an was standing there with nothing but a jacket on. I ran home phoned the Garda but in my panic did not get his reg number.

Woshy

I'm in a whatsapp group for parents of kids in the same class at school as my son.

We must get a message once a week from a parent who is forwarding on something a friend sent them, who got it from Mary who works in the chemist who got it from god knows where. Always about an attempted abduction that is not in our area (but they send it on "just in case") and that the gardai are telling parents to be vigilant. I got one this morning about one in Foxrock.

This is followed by lots of the parents commenting on how terrible it is and how scared they are.

I just ignore them now. It feels like between whatsapp and fb you are bombarded with these things and I never see them corroborated anywhere else. Maybe they are, I don't know. I think it is good to talk to your children about staying safe but sometimes it feels very OTT.

josip

Hector Savage wrote: »

Was it someone in a white van op ?

No van in the 2 most recent cases.
The first one had a back seat (and a woman and sweets).
The second were 2 men and a woman doing the attempting.

Hector Savage

josip wrote: »

No van in the 2 most recent cases.
The first one had a back seat (and a woman and sweets).
The second were 2 men and a woman doing the attempting.

ah ! they still use the sweets to get them in ? bless 'em, they must be the most incompetent child abductors ever...

Woshy

josip wrote: »

No van in the 2 most recent cases.
The first one had a back seat (and a woman and sweets).
The second were 2 men and a woman doing the attempting.

Yes, these are the two I received recently.

I've also been sent two recently about teenage girls at bus stops.

seamus

Yurt! wrote: »

I really wonder where the whole "man in a white van" thing came from? I thought it was just an Irish / British thing, but apparently in France white vans are associated with conspicuous child abductors too.

Apparently the statistic bare it out - criminals are more likely to be driving a white van than any other colour.

It's an association bias though. Vans and other commercial vehicles are overwhelmingly white. 60% of all commercial vehicles are white. Therefore 60% of all crimes committed in a commercial vehicle and 60% of the ****ty driving you see, is in a white van.

Thus, we naturally associate white vans with the worst behaviour because that's what we see.

AlphabetCards

Although I dont remember it myself, apparently at some fair or other at newgrange or malahide castle some man tried taking me away to a secluded wooded area. I was with my older cousins, who were a bit more streetwise than I, who realised I was missing and found me. I must have been 4 or 5. It happens more than you think.

spockety

AlphabetCards wrote: »

Although I dont remember it myself, apparently at some fair or other at newgrange or malahide castle some man tried taking me away to a secluded wooded area. I was with my older cousins, who were a bit more streetwise than I, who realised I was missing and found me. I must have been 4 or 5. It happens more than you think.

Actually it happens a lot less than you think.

Hurrache

AlphabetCards wrote: »

Although I dont remember it myself, apparently at some fair or other at newgrange or malahide castle some man tried taking me away to a secluded wooded area. I was with my older cousins, who were a bit more streetwise than I, who realised I was missing and found me. I must have been 4 or 5. It happens more than you think.

But it doesn't.

mariaalice

There is something peculiar going on culturally, children are extremely well looked after in Ireland very well minded and supervised yet culturally there is fear of kidnapping or stranger danger with is a very rare occurrence.

its fascinating in a way when every possible danger has been addressed society has to invert new ones.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

People need to feel important so they make up stuff in order to be the center of attention. Flavour of the month is currently child abductions.

Consequently, parents worry too much and kids aren't allowed to just go outside and play and be kids.

And for some reason, this is seen as a positive development in society.

EmmetSpiceland

I think the sort of “child snatching” being talked about is very rare and not something pedo groups would want to get involved in, too much coverage.

From what I’ve heard there is a large number of undocumented immigrant minors that go missing over here, they just sort slip through the cracks and have no one who’s willing to look for them.

jam_mac_jam

Its incredibly rare in comparison to the fear around it. Most of these stories are urban myths spread on facebook or whatsap

Hector Savage

mariaalice wrote: »

There is something peculiar going on culturally, children are extremely well looked after in Ireland very well minded and supervised yet culturally there is fear of kidnapping or stranger danger with is a very rare occurrence.

its fascinating in a way when every possible danger has been addressed society has to invert new ones.

Exactly, kid is far far more likely to be struck by an idiot driver, but no one seems concerned about road safety.

You know what is f*cking killing our kids ?
Pollution.

Ulysses Gaze

spockety wrote: »

This is the last one I can remember which made me stop and think that while 99.99% of the stories are just scare stories, the real ones that make up the other 0.01% are utterly horrific, and they do happen.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/man-who-raped-girls-in-athlone-gets-two-life-sentences-1.1711509

His previous convictions include criminal damage, assault, robbery and possession of knives. He had just been released from Castlerea prison three days before the offences.

FFS...

cj maxx

tigger123 wrote: »

You'd wonder if these things are a case of chinese whispers either. If the school gets wind of it they'd have to do the safe thing and make parents aware. Which in turn means that that the Gardaí have to look into it.

There was a face book alert of known paedos in the general area . Couple of days later the school my kids attend texted one morning to say they had been spotted driving into and around the school. These basterds were caught by “ concerned citizens” in the local , painted and put up on Facebook. Fair play to the locals but it’s not ALL Chinese whispers

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

cjmc wrote: »

There was a face book alert of known paedos in the general area . Couple of days later the school my kids attend texted one morning to say they had been spotted driving into and around the school. These basterds were caught by “ concerned citizens” in the local area, tarred and feathered and put up on Facebook. Fair play to the locals but it’s not ALL Chinese whispers

Calling bull****.

Hurrache

Don't be so cynical, you know all vigilante groups carry around warm tar with them in the eventuality it may be needed at a moments notice that day.

cj maxx

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Calling bull****.

https://www.armaghi.com/news/south-armagh/watch-convicted-paedophiles-arrested-after-being-tarred-and-feathered-in-south-armagh/67231

cj maxx

Hurrache wrote: »

Don't be so cynical, you know all vigilante groups carry around warm tar with them in the eventuality it may be needed at a moments notice that day.

Not tarred , painted ! Honestly don’t know why I put tarred and feathered

El_Bee

josip wrote: »

When was the last time a child was actually abducted in Ireland by a stranger?


I'm asking because for the last few months, I've been seeing almost weekly warnings of attempted abductions around Dublin.
Many of these are being sent by schools and are being investigated by Gardai so I'm assuming they're genuine.


But I can't find the last time a child was abducted unless I go back to Philip Cairns or Mary Boyle.


Are all these reported abductions genuine?
Are kids just better educated now about being wary of strangers?
Or do we hear now about all the attempts thanks to social media, whereas in the past we were blissfully unaware.

I remember a few years back there was the "guy in a blue van" story floating around, but no one actually had any specific details, wonder if that was real or not.

nullzero

I myself as a kid was twice nearly bundled into cars. Once I was cut off while approaching a lane way on my bike when two women and a man jumped out and tried to grab me, I would have been ten at the time, the car was a gold coloured Mercedes, fairly and fancy new at a time when Mercs weren't that common.

Another time as a twelve year old a man in a car on his own pulled up beside me and started roaring at me, then got out and told me to get into the fvcking car. I bolted into a nearby park on my bike, both times my parents reported the incidents but its difficult to chase these things up, as a kid if that happens you're scared witless, your ability to give a clear description of the people involved etc isn't ideal.

While I don't believe half of the scare stories I've heard particularly in the social media age, having had those experiences myself I have no problem believing these things do occur, most likely more like the second experience I had, with some sick individual seeing an opportunity at short notice and acting impulsively.

mariaalice

nullzero wrote: »

I myself as a kid was twice nearly bundled into cars. Once I was cut off while approaching a lane way on my bike when two women and a man jumped out and tried to grab me, I would have been ten at the time, the car was a gold coloured Mercedes, fairly and fancy new at a time when Mercs weren't that common.

Another time as a twelve year old a man in a car on his own pulled up beside me and started roaring at me, then got out and told me to get into the fvcking car. I bolted into a nearby park on my bike, both times my parents reported the incidents but its difficult to chase these things up, as a kid if that happens you're scared witless, your ability to give a clear description of the people involved etc isn't ideal.

While I don't believe half of the scare stories I've heard particularly in the social media age, having had those experiences myself I have no problem believing these things do occur, most likely more like the second experience I had, with some sick individual seeing an opportunity at short notice and acting impulsively.

That is a good point a lot if not most could have nothing to do with pedophiles it might and most probably is chaotic impulsive behavior, mental health issues, and just strange people.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

cjmc wrote: »

https://www.armaghi.com/news/south-armagh/watch-convicted-paedophiles-arrested-after-being-tarred-and-feathered-in-south-armagh/67231

Still calling bull****. Different story completely.

You are condoning the scaremongering and needless frightening of parents that does nothing to help them or their kids.

freshpopcorn

I see these links being shared locally. They are generally hyper adults yoke make a scene about everything. They also enter every competition they see online. Especially those ones for sunglasses.

cj maxx

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Still calling bull****. Different story completely.

You are condoning the scaremongering and needless frightening of parents that does nothing to help them or their kids.

Actually it’s NOT a different story , it’s the exact story I told ! I was outside the school collecting the kids when I first posted and got a bit carried away with my facts about what happened to them . FB warning was that they were spotted in Dundalk, and a few days later they’re casing a primary school ( I know of one there may be others) 10 minutes down the M1 !!
Call bull **** if you want but it’s not .
I now know a lot of the staff there and thank god they were vigilant.