A woman's blog post that informs parents what to do if their child is abducted has gone viral.
For most parents the very thought of your child being lured away by a stranger is the stuff of nightmares, but sadly it happens, and Vicky Hamilton-Ross knows this only too well.
Ms Hamilton-Ross wrote a blog post about her nephew's encounter with a man who tried to lure him away at a beach event in Bournemouth, England - a busy seaside resort known for buzzing tourism and nightlife.
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Ms Hamilton-Ross said her sister Lucinda was holding her son Jake's hand at the beachside event, and only let go of his hand when he stopped to pick something up. When she turned around, Jake was gone, and she panicked.
Luckily Lucinda was helped by a group of army cadets, who immediately began yelling out the boy's description and encouraging members of the public to look around to find the boy.
Within about 15 minutes, Jake was found a little further down the beach, Ms Hamilton-Ross explains in her blog post. But his mother's worst fears came to life when Jake recalled what had happened to him while he was missing.
Jake said he was approached by a "bald man" who said he would take Jake to "see a real rocket ship" in an attempt to lure him away.
But by shouting out Jake's description on the beach, Ms Hamilton-Ross believes it must have scared off the abductor who then left Jake alone once he realised he might get caught in the act.
"I would urge every parent to do this immediately, even if you suspect they are just around the corner, what's the worst that could happen, you are slightly embarrassed because they hadn't gone anywhere? Well worth that risk," says Ms Hamilton-Ross.
She said her blog post has gone viral, racking up over a million views so far.
"I'm so glad it can help so many people," Ms Hamilton-Ross said.
Newshub.
