Daughter escapes abduction in mum’s worst nightmare

An innocent young girl’s familiar journey home from school started like any other bike ride, but ended in a terrifying ordeal.

There have been multiple cases of attempted child abduction in recent months on the Sunshine Coast. (Photo — Britta Campion)

AN INNOCENT young girl’s familiar journey home from school started like any other bike ride but ended in a terrifying ordeal that’s left a family and community fearing for their children’s safety.

Jayne Davies’ 10 year old daughter was minutes from home and her school day a distant memory when a “run-down” white van slowed to her bike’s speed, the door opened and two men tried to lour her and a friend into their trap.

“They told them to come over and get in the van,” Ms Davies said.

Instincts kicked in and her daughter ran behind a tree before calling her father, while the van sped off along Peregian Springs Drive on a busy Monday afternoon.

Generic photo to illustrate stranger danger of a girl student and her mother outside the John Purchase Primary School, Cherrybrook in Sydney where there was an attempted abduction of an 8-year-old boy the previous afternoon.

Five days since the “scary” incident, Ms Davies, 35, said the reality of the situation had sunk in after realising how lucky her daughter is.

“We didn’t expect it to happen to her … you never do,” she said.

“They slowed down but thankfully couldn’t pull over … it was along a secluded part of the path near the main road.”

The Davies family moved to the quiet Sunshine Coast community with their two children, aged 10 and 15, in October last year.

Their nightmare mirrors a similar incident reported at Coolum this week, causing anxiety among another tight-knit community.

On the same day, police were called to Tickle Park where a man approached a child at the toilets and asked her to come and look at his kitten. A four-year-old girl was also sexually assaulted in the same toilets earlier this year as police still search for her attacker.

Noosa Police Station officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Ben Carroll said police were investigating multiple incident where children were targeted by strange men.

Noosa Police officer-in-charge Ben Carroll confirmed police were investigating all the incidents and whether they were connected.

The shocking new reports ignite a broader call for more security measures in public places as Ms Davies ramped up her own.

Personal pull-pin alarms and GPS phone tracking apps were among new gadgets she bought to ensure her children’s safety, as well as having a renewed chat about strangers.

“We have always been open and honest about these situations and what you have to do,” she said.

Ms Davies said the community had been very supportive and her daughter’s school, St Andrews Anglican College had already started new conversations about how to keep their students safe.

Senior Sergeant Carroll said while public security was important, police urged parents to ensure their children’s personal safety.

“We take all these reports seriously and we will work on trying to identify the people involved,” he said.

Originally published as Daughter escapes abduction in mum’s worst nightmare