Police warn of kidnap attempt

PUPILS AT Fife schools are again being warned not to walk home alone as police investigate the latest report of an alleged abduction attempt.

It emerged yesterday that officers are investigating an incident said to have happened in Balmullo last Friday.

A letter was sent to shocked parents at local primary schools alerting them to the potential danger.

It is understood a female pupil from Bell Baxter High School in Cupar got off the school bus and was walking home alone down a quiet, darkened road in Balmullo at around 4.20pm when avehicle stopped and she was offered a lift.

She later told her mum about the incident and the authorities were alerted.

A key line of inquiry by the police will be to ascertain whether the driver — who was possibly driving a taxi — had stopped to offer the girl a lift with good intent.

Yesterday Police Scotland said it was aware of the alleged incident and officers would speak to the girl at home.

DESPITE ALLEGEDLY happening last Friday, the incident only came to the attention of Fife Council and the police yesterday.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We are at the early stages of our inquiries as it has only just been reported to us and the people have not been available yet to speak to us.

“We will put extra patrols in the area to offer reassurance to the public.”

In a letter sent to parents yesterday, Newport Primary head teacher Jill Crichton said Fife Council had alerted the school to the apparent incident.

The head teacher said: “Fife Council have alerted us that a high school pupil was approached in Balmullo last week and offered a lift by a driver.

“We will continue to reinforce the message with all pupils about stranger danger.”

The latest warning follows a number of similar alerts in Fife recently.

A probe was launched following a report of an abduction attempt on a schoolgirl in Leuchars on September 24.

Following what they described as a robust inquiry, Police Scotland confirmed the case was closed with no one charged.

At that time police had already quashed rumours circulating on social media that there had been other abduction attempts.

Text messages amongst Madras College pupils had wrongly suggested there had been another abduction attempt, this time on a boy in Guardbridge.

Stories also emerged on social media that a boy had been abducted outside Torbain Primary in Kirkcaldy last week. Officers confirmed there was no substance to these other reports.

Then, on October 29, police launched an investigation into a 12-year-old schoolgirl’s claim that a man tried to lure her into his small blue car on Kelty Main Street.

Her father toldThe Courier at the time he had also been left distraught by the ordeal suffered by his daughter.

He said it had “drained the life out of him” when his daughter told him what had happened.

Yesterday Police Scotland said the Kelty inquiries were “ongoing”.