Eoghan Dalton Reports
Gardaí are investigating an incident where a young girl was approached by two men who tried to coerce her into their car. The 13-year-old had been walking to a shop when the two men approached her on Turkey Road near the Sands Hotel in Tramore on Thursday, 25 July. The girl, who was on holiday with her family in the seaside town, refused to get in the car.
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Declan Curley, the girl’s father, said two local asylum seekers walking by noticed what was happening and intervened, only to be told by one of the men in the car that the girl was his daughter and he was simply bringing her home.“My daughter told the couple she didn’t know them,” said Declan, “the two men eventually left after an argument with the couple.”
The family, from Tullamore, Co Offaly, have been holidaying in Tramore for almost 20 years but were left shaken and disturbed by the incident. “Just be careful, you never know how close to home these things are,” he said. “We reported it straight away to the guards, even just to stop it happening to someone else’s child,” he told the Munster Express. The car as described by the girl was silver with black tinted windows and a roof rack. One of the men is estimated to be aged in his 20s and has a goatee, while the other man is believed to be in his late 40s and wore glasses. It is understood CCTV footage is being used for the investigation.
Despite their experience Declan is adamant his family will be returning to Tramore to enjoy their holidays in years to come: “We’ve been going there nearly 20 years and we’ll still go there. The people are nice and we won’t let this stop us.”