A British mother has claimed a hotel maid broke into her room and tried to take her daughter during a recent holiday in Cyprus, reminiscent of that of Madeleine McCann’s 2007 disappearance.
Siobhan Prescott, 25, says she woke up to her one-year-old daughter, Harper, crying hysterically with a woman standing over her and attempting to pick her up out of her cot.
Ms Prescott says she then screamed out to her partner, Simon Smith, who was out on the balcony of their room at the five star King Evelthon Beach and Hotel Resort in Chloraca Bay.
Mr Smith confronted the woman who started speaking in another language, she then burst into tears and fleeing the room.
“I was napping when a maid sneaked into the room and tried to snatch my baby,” Ms Prescott tells The Sun. “The only reason I woke up was because Harper screamed out, otherwise she could have been the next Maddie McCann.”
“When I opened my eyes I thought I was dreaming I was in so much shock. I started screaming and I startled her as she tried to pick Harper up.
“My partner came running in, seeing me on the bed trying to cover myself and our daughter was crying.
“He asked what she was doing but she could not speak a word of English, she made a phone call and immediately left the room.”
The couple then reported the incident to hotel staff, local police and the British consulate but say little has been done to follow up.
Hotel management reportedly told her the woman was there to clean the room and was checking up on the child, but Ms Prescott says she had no cleaning products on her.
“I reported it to the police, and the British consulate but no one seems to be listening,” she says.
“I find it shocking — you’d think after what happened to Maddie McCann they would want to get this woman off the streets. She could be very dangerous.”
The Sun reports that a foreign office spokesman has confirmed an incident took place. “We provided support to a British woman and her family following an incident in Cyprus in February.”
However according to the Daily Mail, a statement from the hotel denies the reports, despite initially confirming them.
A first statement read, “I would like to inform you that the information you have does correspond to reality.” Before a second statement clarified, “Do not correspond to reality.”
