Gardaí rubbish Facebook abduction claims

A LENGTHY account on Facebook last weekend of a purported child abduction attempt at the Galway City Christmas Market did not have ‘an iota of truth to it’, Gardaí have confirmed to the Connacht Tribune.

The Facebook post contained a detailed account from ‘the father of a young boy’ who claimed that two men – one of East European and the other of African origin – were involved in the attempted abduction of the child.

The post on Facebook on Saturday night ‘went viral’ with tens of thousands of people accessing the account of the so-called abduction attempt – according to Gardaí, the story caused a lot of fear and concern especially to parents of young children.

A Garda spokesperson told the Connacht Tribune on Tuesday that the Facebook post ‘did not contain an iota of truth’ and was taken down shortly after the Gardaí made contact with the person who had put it up online.

“We would like to categorically state that there was no child abduction attempt at the Christmas Market in Galway last weekend.

“There is no basis whatsoever for this post – it was taken down immediately by the individual who put it up, once we made contact with him,” said the Garda spokesperson.

Earlier in the week, Gardaí in Galway, issued a statement concerning the Facebook post, on the instruction of Garda Chief Superintendent, Tom Curley, in an effort to allay the fears of the public.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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