A 38-year-old woman has been charged with the attempted abduction of a child following an alarming incident at Belfast’s Park Centre.
Noleen Creen, from Bunbeg Park in the Lenadoon area, appeared before Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, May 21. She acknowledged her understanding of the charge levelled against her.
Prosecutors detailed that on Wednesday, May 20, around 1pm, Creen was loitering outside a shop in the Park Centre on Donegall Road. It was there she allegedly entered the premises, picked up a one year old child, and began to walk away.
The child’s mother intervened within seconds, retrieving her child from Creen, who then sat down on a bench inside the shopping centre where security approached her.
The court also heard how, just moments before this attempt, Creen had been captured on CCTV kissing another child on the forehead, who was with their parents, before she moved on, reports Belfast Live.
These unsettling events, which spanned a brief 90-second period, were recorded by the centre’s CCTV system.
During police interviews, Creen provided a “disjointed account” and claimed she had no memory of the incidents.
She also revealed that she had consumed half a bottle of vodka with a mate the previous night and had visited a friend at the Royal Victoria Hospital before heading to the Park Centre. She might have also taken prescription tablets, specifically Lyrica.
The court was told that Creen claimed she was merely trying to console the child and had no intention of causing harm.
She was portrayed as a ‘pitiful creature’ with a history of alcohol dependency. Creen was held in custody after the hearing due to the risk of reoffending, with the magistrate ordering a mental health evaluation.
She is scheduled to appear in court at a future date.
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