Four Co Wexford girls left ‘petrified’ after man in car gestured at them

Four young schoolchildren were allegedly gestured at to come to a man in a car, parked near the school bus they had just disembarked from, near Pondfields in New Ross, on Tuesday afternoon.

Three sisters and a female friend were about to walk their normal route home but had to turn around after a man in a black car stood out and started making hand gestures at them to come over to him.

The three sisters’ mother said: “It’s hard to believe what happened. They were walking with their friend having gotten off of the bus when they heard a car beeping. When they turned around to see what was happening there was a man standing beside the car with the front driver’s side door open, gesturing at them to come towards the car.” She said the children had never seen the man before.

“They were absolutely petrified. I have talked to them before about stranger danger, so they walked as fast as they could away in the direction of O’Neill’s shop, seeing the car drive past them as they walked, and took a different route home, as the other way would’ve meant going down a lane.” When the three sisters arrived home they were ‘hysterical’.

“They came in the door screaming. It was horrible. I locked the doors with the bolt and normal lock. They were obviously so terrified,” the girl’s mother said, fighting back tears.

“We rang the guards and they arrived within ten minutes. They reassured me and the kids, saying they will keep a look out; I couldn’t fault them and felt more at peace after they left.” The Co Wexford mum said she is keeping her front door locked and taking extra precautions.

She said she walked her children to their school bus stop Wednesday even though they were happy to walk by themselves.

“I said I’d go just to be on the safe side. Their father and I have been so upset.”

She said gardaí have been alerted that the car was a five seater, black car, adding that she doesn’t know the man’s motives, but hope he is found, if only so that he can get help. “You never know what’s going on in people’s lives, but still they need to get help.”

A New Ross Garda spokesperson said they were alerted to an alleged incident at Old Charlton Hill at 2.45 p.m. and that the allegation is a man waved at children from a car and that they ignored him and made their way home safely.

He said gadaí are following up on the matter.

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