Man ‘attempted to abduct child’ at Gönyeli festival

A MAN tried to kidnap a threeyear-old girl at the Gönyeli Youth Festival, a court was told.

The suspect, referred to by the initials “AA”, allegedly told the child he was going to buy her a crepe from one of the stands at the festival.

However he was caught by police officers on patrol trying to leave the festival area while holding the child in his arms.

Police sergeant Mustafa Mahan, testifying before Lefkoşa District Court on Sunday, said that the incident happened between 8.30pm and 9pm on Saturday, October 22.

He said that on-duty police officers, who had been notified of the missing girl, identified and arrested the suspect and returned the child to her mother.

Suspect AA, who appeared before court without a lawyer, said that he had taken the child with the mother’s permission.

Judge Zehra Yalkut Bilgeç ordered AA to be remanded in custody for an initial period of three days pending further investigations. She also ordered that contact be made with the Social Services Department regarding the incident.