TWO schoolboys were injured when a stranger tried to drag them into the back of a van in broad daylight.

Joshua Sparrow, 13, and his cousin Luke Fletcher, nine, were hurt and left shaken after the man attempted to bundle them into the vehicle in a York street.

Luke's arm was broken when the man dragged him across the ground and Joshua was left covered in bruises where he was punched and kicked by their attacker - who is believed to be Polish - in Fossway, on Saturday.

It is understood the man's daughter had been bitten by a dog, which he mistakenly believed belonged to the two boys.

The two boys were rescued by a brave member of the public.

Josh's mum Rebecca, 39, a community carer in York, said: "It was horrendous.

"I got a phone call while I was at work on Saturday evening saying my son had been attacked and thrown into the back of a van.

"At first I thought someone had taken them and I was just hysterical, but luckily a family had seen what was happening and got him out.

"The man had started the van so he obviously wanted to take them somewhere, but where and why?"

The two boys had been playing at the local park with friends and were on their way to their auntie's house in Pottery Lane when the attack happened, shortly before 8pm.

Josh, who is a pupil at Barlby High School, said: "We were walking to my auntie's house when this green van pulled up.

"A man shot out and grabbed Luke's arm and started pulling him towards the van by his arm. He was on the floor, screaming get off me, get off me'.

"I tried to run, but he came after me and punched me in the back of the head and pushed me into a hedge.

"He started dragging me and kicking me and trying to get me into the van. He picked up Luke and threw him into the back of the van.

"Then he threw me in and tried to slam the van door, but I put my foot out.

"Luckily a woman from over the road saw the whole thing and she grabbed us from the van as he was about to drive off."

Josh's dad Anthony, 38, a recovery vehicle driver, said: "We would like to thank the family who got them out. If it hadn't been for them I dread to think what would have happened.

"Luke was screaming so loud that they heard the noise.

"It's terrifying, especially in light of what's happened with the young girl missing in Portugal."

Luke, who goes to Haxby Road Primary School, is now staying with his auntie and uncle in North Duffield because he is too afraid to return to his home in nearby Dodsworth Avenue.

Mrs Sparrow said: "We're just beginning to calm down now. What right has any grown man got to grab anybody's child?

"The people who saw what happened said they hit him like he was an adult. You don't hit children in this country."

She said both children had been very quiet since the attack.

A York Police spokesman said: "What appears to have happened is that the suspect's daughter was bitten by a dog. He has gone round to try and find the dog and has found these two boys, who he believed were in charge of the dog that had bitten his daughter.

"He detained them both and tried to put them in the back of his van, which is when the members of the public intervened."

A man has been arrested and released on police bail pending further inquiries.


They were screaming and crying'

WAREHOUSE worker Kevin Baines and his daughters went to the aid of the two young boys.

Mr Baines, 45, of Fossway, was watching TV on Saturday evening when he heard screaming and shouting coming from the street outside.

He looked out of the window to see two boys being dragged kicking and screaming into a green van.

"There was a man and three girls trying to get the kids into a green Transit van," he said.

"The boys were screaming and crying and dragging their feet - you could see they definitely didn't want to go and when I saw the man smack the older boy round the head I went out with my daughters to see what was going on.

"Two of the girls had hold of the younger boy - he can't have been more than seven or eight and only about three feet tall and he got his arm broken as they pushed him into the van."

Then Mr Baines and his daughters Nicola Luke, 25, and Jade Baines, 17, went out into the street.

"My oldest daughter confronted the guy and asked him what was going on. I don't think he was English, he could have been Polish, he just kept saying wait a minute, wait a minute," said Mr Baines.

By this point more people had come out of their houses to see what was happening.

Mr Baines said: "One of my neighbours phoned for the police and my 17-year-old went round and got the two boys out of the van and everybody stayed in the street until the police arrived to make sure they didn't go anywhere.

"I'm really proud of my daughters for getting involved. I've lived round here for years and there's never been anything like this happened before - you just don't expect it."

Mr Baines and his daughters have since given statements about what they saw to police officers over the weekend.