A young mother and her daughters have been left ‘petrified’ after a man in a white van stopped and offered the girls doughnuts while they were playing in the front garden at their home in Partington, Greater Manchester.
Rechelle Haigh, 26, has released the shocking CCTV footage to warn other parents about the man who did an emergency stop of his vehicle when he saw eight-year-old Sadè playing with her two-year-old sister Ameya and step-sister Roxie who is six.
Sadè acted instinctively and as soon as the man spoke with them, she grabbed her sisters, took them into the house and alerted her mother Rechelle.
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Speaking to UNILAD, Rechelle said:
I felt very angry and scared it was a shot to my system how could something like this happen to us that was my first thought.
I was sat on the couch I heard a screech were he did an emergency stop I heard him shout quick quick come to my van I have doughnuts come on quick my daughter belted it into my house saying ‘mum mum quick he’s asking us to come to his van’.
At first I thought it’s just a neighbour being nice and she ran back out but she was still shouting ‘mum quick’ and then she came back in with her sister and step-sister. She was carrying Ameya in her arms scared still.
I went out I asked him ‘what are you doing?’. His reply was ‘erm erm erm just asking then to come for doughnuts’ then he sped off I ran in for my phone as I took a picture but I was shaking so my picture appeared blurred unfortunately.
He was on my road for approximately seven minutes as he must have realised the top of my road there’s a dead end.
Sadè, who has been hailed a ‘hero’ and the family’s ‘protector’ is now ‘petrified’ and is too scared to play outside or to knock on for her friend a few doors down from their home.
There are numerous safety measures installed on their house, including six CCTV cameras and a large fence.
Rechelle continued:
Sade is petrified she won’t even play out side now she’s now asked me to come and sit with her whilst she plays.
She scared to even knock on for her friend Alexia a few doors down. On the first night she had a really bad nightmare, it’s so unfair.
I’m so very proud of her I’ve always taught her about stranger danger and even to run whether it’s a blue, black, white, or pink van driver asking her to stop.
I’ve told her she is my star of the day, my hero and our protector – she’s amazing. My aim is to show parents that we all need to teach our children about stranger danger.
I’m constantly looking out my window and the kids no longer want to play out. I always wanted my girls to feel free, I do protect them too much sometimes but I thought they were safe with the cameras and the fence
Rechelle went on to say:
My only aim in sharing my post is to raise awareness of stranger danger. I was a concerned mother scared for my kids safety.
I am glad this happened as this was a massive eye opener – not just for me, but for my kids.
I have had a lot of mothers thanking me for sharing the post and people are now teaching their kids about stranger danger and asking them the question: “What would you do?”
The police have been contacted and are currently reviewing the CCTV footage.
Rechelle wants to raise awareness of the importance of teaching children about stranger danger, and to remind everyone that ‘nobody is safe out here in 2017’.
