Grandfather Saves His 12-Year-Old Granddaughter From Being Abducted

A grandfather has saved the life of his 12-year-old granddaughter after a man attempted to abduct her while she was on a sleepover at a home in Gladstone.

The girl had been hosting a sleepover with friends at her grandparents’ house in Gladstone where three 12-year-olds girls were sleeping, when a man allegedly broke in at 1am on Sunday and tried to take the girl away.

Police say the man laid down on the mattress and touched the girl before trying to drag her outside, but the girl’s screams woke her grandfather who immediately came to rescue her.

Detective Inspector Darrin Shadlow said that the girl was “very shaken up” by the incident and suffered cuts and bruises. “Thankfully the screams of that young girl and her friends have alerted the grandfather of the victim to what was occurring and he has run outside where the offender has decamped,” he said.

Police said they tried to arrest a 24-year-old from north-west Queensland at a home at Seaview Heights on Sunday afternoon but he escaped, sparking a large-scale search of the area. Det Insp Shadlow said that the address was “basically across the road” from the victim’s.

The alleged attacker was eventually found in the backyard of a nearby home around 8.15pm on Sunday and was taken into custody.

Police say the girl and her family did not know the attacker, but said he had been living nearby.

The man was charged with one count each of abduction of a child under 16 years of age, assault, entering a dwelling with intent, indecent treatment of a child under 16 and obstructing police.

Source: Au.news.yahoo.com and Aww.com.au