Witness appeal after man savagely beaten following allegation of child abduction

Gardai have issued an appeal for witnesses after a man was subjected to a vicious daylight assault in Dublin after it was alleged he had attempted to abduct a child.

On Sunday, June 16, Gardai responded to a public order incident on O’Connell Street after a man was attacked by a crowd of people on the busy main street. In a video, a man is seen being corned outside a shop as a group surrounds him shouting: “You tried to kidnap a child”, reports the Irish Mirror.

As the shouting intensifies and the man attempts to back away from the group, he is physically assaulted by a group of men and women. The man falls backwards towards the doors of the shop before being pulled to the ground by the group who proceed to kick and punch him repeatedly before leaving him to get back up before hitting him again. The man eventually manages to run away.

Read more: Woman, 60s, dies after landing on flight into Dublin Airport

Read more: Man dead after overnight assault in north Dublin housing estate

In a second video, the same man can be seen being attacked beside a bus, with multiple people kicking and punching him on the ground, one person removes their slider and hits him repeatedly on the head with it, and another throws a drink at him. The video ends with the man’s face bloodied from the brutal assault.

A spokesperson for Gardai confirmed they are continuing to make efforts to identify the male allegedly assaulted in the video as well as those who allegedly carried out the attack.

They said: “An Garda Siochana would appeal to anyone in the O’Connell Street area on Sunday, 16 June and who observed this public order incident or who has video footage of this incident, to contact Store Street Garda Station at 01 666 8000 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.”

A spokesperson also said that Gardai are aware of suggestions of an inappropriate approach to children or attempted child abduction which led to this public order incident and confirmed that no incident of attempted child abduction or similar activity has been reported to An Garda Siochana.

They said: “An Garda Siochana appeals to anyone who directly observed any attempted abduction or inappropriate approach to a child, who has direct knowledge of any attempted abduction or inappropriate approach to a child occurring in the O’Connell Street area to contact Store Street Garda Station at 01 666 8000.

“Under Section 7 of the Garda Siochana Act 2005, An Garda Siochana is the sole agency invested with the statutory role of preserving peace and public order. It is also An Garda Siochana’s statutory role to investigate crime and enforce enacted legislation.

“An Garda Siochana urge anyone with information relating to any crime to immediately report it for it to be thoroughly investigated by Gardai. In emergency situations such as a crime in progress or when urgent Garda assistance is required, members of the public should always call 999/112.”

For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.

Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.