Man sought in Lanzarote kidnap case

13 April 2013

British police are attempting to find a man who tried to snatch a three-year-old girl from her parents in the Canary Islands.

A family from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, were on holiday in Costa Teguise in Lanzarote on January 30 last year when a man - believed to be British - attempted to kidnap the girl in a shop.

The victim's father noticed she was missing, left a store and spotted the youngster being led around a corner into an alleyway by a man, who was holding her by the hand. He shouted out and ran up to his daughter, pulling her away from the man who then left the scene.

The family were on the beach a short time later and saw the same man, who spoke fluent English, sitting between some rocks and acting suspiciously.

The victim's father confronted the suspect, but he left the scene before police arrived. But the quick-thinking family took photos of the man, which have been released by police in an attempt to identify him.

The suspect is described as white, with pasty skin, of stocky build with broad shoulders, 5ft 8in to 5ft 9in, 40 to 55 years old, with short dark hair and a dark moustache.

Investigating officer Detective Constable John Swallow said: "This is a very concerning incident in which a young girl was led away from her family by an unknown man.

"The incident was reported to Thames Valley Police after initially being reported to police in Lanzarote and we have been making enquiries to try and establish the man's identity since then. We are working closely with the Spanish authorities and Interpol on this case and will continue to do so.

"We have reason to believe he may be a British citizen as he spoke fluent English and made references to being on holiday. I am appealing for anyone who recognises the man in the images or has information on his whereabouts to contact police as soon as possible."

A Thames Valley Police spokesman explained the delay in issuing the pictures was due to Spanish police having to exhaust their investigation before the appeal to find the man could move to Britain.

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