A man has been arrested in Dublin’s South Inner City after a mother claimed he attempted to snatch her baby.
According to the Irish Independent, mum Sarah Conway (27) was walking on Meath Street at around 5pm on Tuesday when she witnessed the man attempt to grab another child.
“As I was coming up the street there was a woman walking up with a 7-year-old child.” Ms Conway told the newspaper.
“I saw a black man coming back towards her. He grabbed the child’s wrist and the woman was screaming ‘get off my child, get off my child’.”
According to the mother-of-two, the man immediately turned his attention to her two-year-old daughter Amelia and one-year-old Hallie, who was in her buggy.
Describing the horror moment, she continued:
“As she pushed the man off her child he stumbled towards me. He saw me and he saw the child. He looked me straight in the eye.
“He then put his hand under my child in the pram, under her bum, and he started trying to lift the child out.
“Thank god the child was strapped in, otherwise he would have taken her away.”
In shock, Ms Conway ran to a nearby butcher shop on the popular tourist street: “I always thought that if anyone ever did that to me or my children then I would just punch their lights out. I was so scared that I just ran.” she added.
Having shared her story on Facebook, another mum reported having had a similar experience: “I think it’s the same guy that tried to attack me on Cork Street yesterday [Tuesday] at around half 5. Only a taxi driver pulled in and got him away from me. Think he was on something. Hope your little girl is ok??”
The 41-year-old man arrested on Wednesday has now been released. A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
