A Yorkshire mother has warned locals to be vigilant, after a woman with a buggy allegedly tried to ‘lure’ her daughter away in the supermarket.
Josie Hill claims she was shopping in her local Tesco, in Hull's St Stephen's Shopping Centre, East Yorkshire, when the stranger approached 23-month-old Lottie.
In an interview with the Hull Daily Mail, Josie said she was watching from the aisle as the woman engaged her daughter in conversation.
Describing the stranger as being in her thirties or forties, Josie recalled: "There's no way this woman could have taken her because I had my eyes on her, but this woman didn't know that until she saw me."
Witness Katrina Bateman added that the stranger’s behaviour was so unusual, she presumed she was little Lottie’s actual mother.
Ms Bateman explained: “I saw this woman go up to her and say, ‘Come on then’, and just thought it was her mum. When I saw the toddler walk away the other way…I went up to the girl and said, ‘Come on, Princess – let’s go find your mummy.’”
Having reported the unnerving incident to local police, Josie went on to issue a warning to local parents.
“I just want to put awareness out. This happens too much, and people need to be warned,” she said.
