Mother of girl at centre of abduction alert voices concern

THE mother of a young girl who sparked a major abduction alert after she was approached by two men today said she still fears for the safety of other youngsters.

• Vicky Dann with Emma

Vicky Dann said her nine-year-old daughter, Emma, had been left traumatised by her experience and was suffering from nightmares.

The 39-year-old mother-of-two called in police after Emma returned to their home on Sunday evening and said two men had tried to persuade her and a friend to go for a walk at a former colliery.

The men had a red-headed girl aged around six with them, and Ms Dann feared that the youngster may be in danger.

Officers immediately mounted a massive police operation, which included drafting in a helicopter from the Strathclyde force, to carry out a search.

Police visited Ms Dann again yesterday at her home in Newton Village in Dalkeith, and told her they believed the young girl had not been abducted.

Although they have not yet traced the two men involved in the incident, officers do not believe any crime was committed and no children have been reported missing.

Ms Dann said she would remain concerned about the young girl's wellbeing until the pair are tracked down.

She said: "My daughter had been playing with her friend at about 5.40pm on Sunday when they were approached by these two men who had a little girl with them. They asked if she wanted to go for a walk down at Monktonhall Colliery.

"They told my daughter they had already been for a walk but had "plenty of energy" and wanted to go for another one.

"Luckily they know better and ran off. My daughter came home and told me what happened. I was worried about the little girl so I called the police.

"The police were here straight away. The streets were empty after that once word got around about what happened."

Officers have visited local primary schools in an attempt to trace the girl and appealed for witnesses who can help shed light on the incident.

Ms Dann, who also has an older daughter, Jenna, 17, said: "My daughter wasn't able to give a very detailed description of the men, just that they were dark-skinned or tanned. One was wearing bermuda shorts and the other a blue T-shirt.

"I'm still worried about the girl who was with them. I also think about what could've happened to my daughter if she went with them. The police have to find these men otherwise no-one's children will feel safe. A lot of parents here feel the same way.

"The officers who came round to see me said they thought that the men were probably acting innocently, but they can't know that for sure.

"My daughter can't sleep at the moment because of nightmares that they are going to come back and get her. She wakes up in the night and goes downstairs to check that all the doors are locked."

A police spokesman said they had no reason to believe that anything criminal had taken place, but urged anyone with information on the incident to come forward.

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