Young mum Louise Gordon speaks about 'child snatch' attempt at Great Lines park in Gillingham
15:56, 21 June 2013
A young mother has described the terrifying moment a man grabbed her daughter's buggy and demanded she let go.
The suspect is being hunted by police after approaching Louise Gordon and one-year-old Amelia in the Great Lines Heritage Park in Gillingham.
Miss Gordon, 19, of Rock Avenue, Gillingham, was walking home with her 16-year-old sister Nadine after visiting her father in Chatham.
As the man walked past them, heading in the opposite direction, he grabbed the buggy and told Miss Gordon to let go.
She said: "I replied 'pardon' and he started talking to himself in another language. I think it was Polish. He then repeated 'let go'.
"He spoke in quite a low voice, it was like he didn't want to cause a scene.
"He was pulling quite hard on the buggy and he wouldn't let go. It was terrifying. I was scared because I thought he was going to hurt my daughter.
"We had a bit of a tussle with the buggy, then my sister stepped towards him and shouted at him and he ran off in the direction of Institute Road in Chatham."
She added: "Amelia was OK but she knew something was wrong. She just kept saying uh-oh."
The incident happened between 6.50pm and 7pm last Friday, shortly after part of the Medway Fuse Festival had been held on the Great Lines.
Police have released an efit of the suspect after Miss Gordon was able to give a detailed description to officers.
Kent Police said it is unclear what the man's intention was, but the force want to trace him for questioning.
He is described as having pale skin, with a droopy nose and a lazy left eye. The man is thought to have a rash on his neck and was wearing a white T-shirt and black leather jacket.
Comments on social media site Facebook have claimed it was the third attempted child abduction in the area in the last week, but police said they have not received any reports of similar incidents.
- Anybody with information is asked to phone Kent Police on 101, quoting crime reference XY/18204/13, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111
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