Enniskillen child abduction accused refused bail

AN ENNISKILLEN teenager accused of abducting a child from a care home has been refused bail after breaching a no-contact condition.
At Omagh Magistrates Court on Tuesday, Alioune Sow of the Clinton Centre in Belmore Street was remanded into custody after breaching his bail.
The court was told by a police detective that the charges relate to September 2024 when a children’s home raised concerns about the defendant who was in a relationship with a 15-year-old girl in their care.
A report was made by the home that Sow had taken the girl from the home. Sow was later located and arrested whilst in the company of the 15-year-old.
It was accepted when Sow was first interviewed that there would be delay in obtaining phone evidence so the defendant was released on bail pending further investigation.
However when he was released he was ordered to have no contact with any child in the children’s home.
On February 6 the 15-year-old girl reported to police that a Snapchat account, which she believed to be the defendant, had added her and started messaging her.
The detective said that bodyworn footage which captured the messages revealed ‘offensive’ voice notes that ‘sounded like’ Sow.
Defence counsel Gavyn Cairns said that Sow denied the offences at interview and that the breach was not accepted.
Mr Cairns said that the Snapchat account was not known to the child and wasn’t previously used by the defendant. He added that police only noted that it ‘sounded like’ the defendant, and did not have sufficient evidence to prove it was Sow or prove the breach of bail.
However district judge Ted Magill said that the breach was substantial and refused re-admitting Sow to bail.
The 19-year-old will return to Enniskillen Magistrates Court on February 24.