A man who tried to kidnap a 2-year-old girl in front of her mother was thwarted when the family’s dog came to her rescue, The Independent reports. The child and her mother were walking in Bishopstoke in the UK at around 10:40 a.m. when two men approached and one tried to make off with the toddler. Thankfully, she’s safe and sound.
- The men feigned interest in the dog at first. However, before long, one of the men picked up the little girl and ran away to a council estate nearby. Thankfully, the dog ran after the man and bit the abductor on the leg, allowing her to get away.
- The incident is being treated as an attempted kidnapping. Hampshire Constabulary is treating it as an attempted kidnapping and is asking for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.
- The police are taking the incident extremely seriously. As Janine Bradley, detective inspector, said in a statement: “We fully appreciate that this incident will have a significant impact on the community, and we want to reassure the public that we are taking this report very seriously. Our officers are carrying out extensive inquiries in the local area – including house-to-house visits, scoping CCTV and there will be high-visibility patrols in the area to reassure the community.”
- The suspect should be easy enough to find. Bradley implored the public to let authorities know if they know anyone who might be responsible for the act. “Perhaps you are aware of someone who has today suffered a dog bite to their leg? Any information, no matter how small or insignificant you believe it to be, could really help aid our ongoing investigation and identify those responsible,” she said. “Likewise, we would like to ask local residents to review any CCTV or doorbell camera footage that they may have which may have captured the moments leading up to, during or after the incident, to make contact with us.”
