A brave grandfather who spotted a six-year-old girl allegedly being snatched from her home saved her in a dramatic rescue bid.
John Farrell, 50, said he spotted a man ushering the child away and raced down from his third-floor flat in the Barrowfield area of Glasgow to help.
After chasing him through the streets on Friday night - and straight into the arms of police who arrested him - he has been hailed a hero.
But John modestly claims he did what any parent would do.
He said his suspicions were raised when he saw the man argue with staff in a chip shop then
stumble about looking into another neighbour’s window.
John, a domestic cleaner, told the Daily Record: “Then I saw the man trying to coax the wee girl away. I thought at first it was her dad because it sounded like he had a foreign accent – but then I realised it was because he was so drunk.
“Then I heard a child shouting and screaming. It was the girl’s baby brother who was obviously shouting for their mum.
“By this point, the man was out of the street and he disappeared. A police car turned in and missed him by seconds and I knew
something wasn’t right.
“My daughter said, ‘You have to get involved,’ and I put my shoes on and ran down.
"People are calling me a hero but I did what any parent would do.”
The police had been alerted by other concerned locals.
John added: “I ran as fast as I could, past a swing park where there was a police car and I shouted to them I had seen him take her. I jumped over a set of railings, ran down a footpath and into the road.
“I started to slow down as I was tired and then I stopped at a
billboard on David Street and something just spooked me. It was eerie and creepy and
something made me go over.”
John saw the man with the girl behind the advertising board and after a confrontation, the man threw her towards John and fled. But again John chased him.
He said: “There were police everywhere and I was shouting for them to get him. I chased him all the way up –straight into the police's hands.
“The next day, I saw the girl and her mum go away with police and an interpreter. I hope she’s OK.”
The girl, who is foreign, has now been reunited with her family.
A man, believed to be the girl’s uncle, yesterday said the family didn’t want to comment.
Last night, there was still a police presence in the area and neighbours were quizzed by CID.
Police said it was an isolated incident and thanked the public for helping to find the girl. They said inquiries were ongoing.
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