POLICE are urgently seeking a man who allegedly tried to take a six-year-old from her mother's bed, as republicans appealed for help to track him down.
The 32-year-old awoke at around 2.30am on Saturday to find the man in his twenties with a shaved head, wearing jeans and a cream top "bent over the bottom of the bed, leaning over" the child who, along with her four-year-old sister, was sleeping with her mother.
The mother said both front and back doors of the family's Drumbeg South Estate home in Craigavon, Co Armagh, were locked but an upstairs window had been left open.
Police said inquiries are "underway to establish exactly what has happened and to locate the male involved".
Detective Sergeant Colin Patterson said: "This was obviously a distressing experience for the family concerned and whilst our enquiries are at a very early stage, we will be working closely with them as we progress our investigation."
However, Republican Sinn Féin, which does not support the PSNI, also issued an appeal for information.
"This family were very lucky that the children stayed in the mothers bedroom as the light blew the night before in their own room and they wouldn’t stay there as they were afraid of the dark," it said in a statement.
"Upon questioning the child the mother found out he was grabbing the child and telling her to `Come with me'.
"We would ask everyone to be vigilant and lock all doors and windows and anyone who may have seen this man last night contact us."
Detectives have asked anyone with information to contact investigating officers at Craigavon on 101, quoting reference 705.
The mother, who praised Republican Sinn Féin for their support, wrote in a now deleted social media post: "I feel lucky that he didn’t take her and we have her today. It could have been so different and a lot worse.
"She keeps asking me to hold her... I just hope this man is brought to justice and no other family has to go through this."
