Gardaí have arrested two men in connection with separate attempts to abduct schoolgirls in East Cork. The first arrest followed an attempt to abduct two schoolgirls as they walked home from school near the village of Killeagh, outside Youghal this afternoon.
A man driving a white van pulled up beside the girls and tried to entice into the van. The girls ran back to school, where the school principal raised the alarm. Half a hour later Gardaí arrested an Englishman in his forties near Youghal.
In a separate investigation, Gardaí in nearby Midleton, have arrested a local man in his thirties, in connection with an attempt to abduct a 12-year-old schoolgirl. The girl was walking home from school when a man grabbed her and tried to drag her down a laneway. She managed to struggle free and sought help. The man arrested in connection with this incident is being held at Midleton Garda Station.
It is believed that the incidents are unconnected. Both men are being held under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act and can be held for up to 12 hours.
