'No child kidnap attempt'

Claims that an attempt was made to kidnap a child at a Mullingar housing estate have been described as inaccurate by gardaí.

Social media was rife with clams that up to three men had driven into an estate, and that one had picked up a child, but left the child down when he realised that there was a resident at their doorway.

Gardaí said, however, that the incident was entirely innocent: that one man got out of a car to move a toy from the road where children were playing.

A video of the incident seen by the Westmeath Examiner appears to back up this version.

The video shows the car in full view of the camera. The first man to exit the car disappears from view for just 15 seconds, after getting out of his car to remove what appears to be a child’s scooter which is blocking passage for a car that entered the estate behind him. However, there is nothing to suggest that the man even interacted with any of the children playing.

After that, the man speaks to a local resident for 28 seconds, before going to the passenger side of his car and taking out something to eat. He then pours water over his hands. A second man exits the vehicle, holds his hands out for water and splashes it on his face and hair before having a cigarette.

There may have been a third person in the car, but they did not get out. The two men then got into their car and left.