Attempted abduction of a British child on Costa de Almeria, Spain.

[John]

Brit holidaymaker's horror after fighting off man who tried to abduct four-year-old son from Spain hotel



By Paul Britton
27 June 2016

Shaun Kennedy said the man struck up a conversation with his son Chase before trying to pull him from a hotel lift as the doors closed in Roquetas de Mar.



A dad has spoken of his terror after fighting off a man who tried to abduct his four-year-old son from a hotel in Spain.

Shaun Kennedy said the man struck up a conversation with his son Chase before trying to pull him from a hotel lift as the doors closed in Roquetas de Mar on the Costa de Almeria.

Shaun, 35, from Urmston, Greater Manchester, was left with a a bloodied face, a swollen hand and a twisted knee after the incident at the Hotel Best Sabinal.

The Manchester Evening News reports the incident was reported to police and officers took a statement from Shaun at the hotel.

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He was taking his son up to their room for an afternoon sleep at the time.

Shaun said Chase suffered carpet burns on his legs as the would-be abductor dragged him along a hotel corridor at one point during the worrying incident on June.



He said: “It has really shaken me up and I’m still in shock.”

Shaun said: “We had all been for lunch and I was taking Chase up for a bit of a nap and a break. Chase and I got in the lift and a man got in at the first level.

“He was black and about 6ft 3ins tall. He was looking at Chase and saying hello. I turned to Chase and asked him if he was going to say hello back and he did. I just thought that the man was being nice - nothing more to it.

“Me and Chase were going to the third floor and the man pushed the button for the second floor. The doors opened and as they were shutting he grabbed Chase.



"He grabbed one of Chase’s arms and just seemed to sweep him up out of the lift as the doors were shutting.”

Read more: Terrified girl runs kidnapper who told her: "You're going to have nightmares about me"

“He was black and about 6ft 3ins tall. He was looking at Chase and saying hello. I turned to Chase and asked him if he was going to say hello back and he did. I just thought that the man was being nice - nothing more to it.

“Me and Chase were going to the third floor and the man pushed the button for the second floor. The doors opened and as they were shutting he grabbed Chase.

"He grabbed one of Chase’s arms and just seemed to sweep him up out of the lift as the doors were shutting.”

Shaun said the man then tried to drag Chase away by his legs but he followed him and jumped on him before they began to fight again.

“I managed to get him onto the floor and that is when I picked Chase up and just ran away with him.”

He raised the alarm at reception but said police were slow to respond.

Shaun added: “The police didn’t speak a word of English so the hotel receptionist was translating for us. The police just drove around the hotel and that was it. I did not go to the police station. They did not seem interested in what I was saying.”

He said Chase is now recovering from his ordeal but is waking up in the middle of the night. Shaun added: “I just want to make people aware of it. We have contacted Thomson.”

A Thomson spokesperson said: “These allegations are concerning to hear and we are in direct contact with Mr Kennedy now that he is home. As we understand this is a matter for the authorities in Spain, we aren’t in a position to comment further."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/brit-holidaymakers-horror-after-fighting-8296006

45

[John]

And now the sensational Daily Star version which has to associate the incident with Maddie.

[Alfie]

You do realise that Team McCann use the Fund to plant these lies in the MSM don't you John? 

[Angelo222]

On a serious note, I find it very concerning that the parent of a child who could very well have been the subject of a daylight abduction feels that the Spanish police are not treating the incident with the seriousness and gravity that it deserves.

I don't agree that incidents like this are being automatically labelled with the 'Maddie' tag because it is unknown what happened to her but this must serve as a warning to other British tourists with children on the Costa's to be extremely careful.

[Alfie]

On a serious note, I find it very concerning that the parent of a child who could very well have been the subject of a daylight abduction feels that the Spanish police are not treating the incident with the seriousness and gravity that it deserves.

Careful....you may be accused of xenophobia if you dare call into question the performance of a foreign police force.

[Angelo222]

Careful....you may be accused of xenophobia if you dare call into question the performance of a foreign police force.

Have you any knowledge of the Spanish police and how they deal with tourists?

[Alfie]

Have you any knowledge of the Spanish police and how they deal with tourists?

No - why don't you enlighten us? 

[Brietta]

A terrifying incident which could have so easily have succeeded. 
If the father had had another child or children with him, or if the child had been accompanied by his mother who would have been more easily subdued by a six foot male, the story could have had a different ending.

That man remains free to make a similar attempt at any future time or place of his choosing. 
The reported failure of the Spanish police to investigate the incident properly is imo criminal in itself.
A hotel like that must have had CCTV coverage and I know that in Britain that would have been a first port of call for anyone taking this incident seriously.

[Alice Purjorick]

"He raised the alarm at reception but said police were slow to respond.

Shaun added: “The police didn’t speak a word of English so the hotel receptionist was translating for us. The police just drove around the hotel and that was it. I did not go to the police station. They did not seem interested in what I was saying.”


That has a familiar ring to it.

ETA: I wonder why he did not go to the cop shop (Police Office) ?

[John]

A terrifying incident which could have so easily have succeeded. 
If the father had had another child or children with him, or if the child had been accompanied by his mother who would have been more easily subdued by a six foot male, the story could have had a different ending.

That man remains free to make a similar attempt at any future time or place of his choosing. 
The reported failure of the Spanish police to investigate the incident properly is imo criminal in itself.
A hotel like that must have had CCTV coverage and I know that in Britain that would have been a first port of call for anyone taking this incident seriously.

I agree, an incident like this requires an appropriate response from the police at the highest level.  Why someone would want to snatch a child in broad daylight in such an environment defies belief, could be he has mental problems. 

I hope the British Embassy is involved in pursuing this criminal and are pushing the Spanish authorities to find him given that he must be known to someone.  With the number of foreign children on the Costa's growing exponentially by the day this crazed nutter must be caught!

[jassi]

I agree, an incident like this requires an appropriate response from the police at the highest level.  Why someone would want to snatch a child in broad daylight in such an environment defies belief, could be he has mental problems. 

I hope the British Embassy is involved in pursuing this criminal and are pushing the Spanish authorities to find him given that he must be known to someone.  With the number of foreign children on the Costa's growing exponentially by the day this crazed nutter must be caught!

There seems to be no mention of embassy involvement in the article, so would they even know about it?

[Brietta]

I agree, an incident like this requires an appropriate response from the police at the highest level.  Why someone would want to snatch a child in broad daylight in such an environment defies belief, could be he has mental problems. 

I hope the British Embassy is involved in pursuing this criminal and are pushing the Spanish authorities to find him given that he must be known to someone.  With the number of foreign children on the Costa's growing exponentially by the day this crazed nutter must be caught!

There appears to be more to this than reported in the newspapers, John.  I cannot believe that the police weren't being a bit more proactive than just driving around the perimeter of the hotel.  They must have been doing more than that!!
The parents were told they had been watched ... that could only have come from a police investigation don't you think?

“family of 6 holiday”
1 of 5 starsReviewed 1 week ago via mobile
Warning to all parents with children. My son of 4 was snatched from lift whilst with his dad. The man waited for lift to half close before attempting to abduct him. Luckily his father fought back. The police arrived after 30 minutes and patrolled the perimeter of hotel. Not around the pool or inside the hotel where incident happened. Watch your kiddies as this happened today around 2pm with a responsible adult. No apology from management and no room change. We do not feel safe as we were told we had been watched.

Stayed June 2016
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g644309-d260683-Reviews-Best_Sabinal-Roquetas_de_Mar_Province_of_Almeria_Andalucia.html

The hotel has had excellent reviews, but I don't think having read that one that it would be high on my list of places to stay.  It is in everyone's interest to identify and catch this man urgently.

Incidentally, there are quite a few reports of attempted abductions in the costas, none of which have attracted much press attention here.

[Alice Purjorick]

There seems to be no mention of embassy involvement in the article, so would they even know about it?

According to the story he never even went to a police station so I doubt it.

[John]

There seems to be no mention of embassy involvement in the article, so would they even know about it?

Normal procedure is for them to be informed.  I have no doubt they know about it by now given the publicity in several msm publications by last night.

[jassi]

Normal procedure is for them to be informed.  I have no doubt they know about it by now given the publicity in several msm publications by last night.

By whom?