A partner speaks out about the emotional toll of false kidnapping accusations, revealing the chaos and fear that followed the incident in Truro
Truro: A disabled grandmother’s partner is speaking out after a wild incident. He’s been struggling since social media rumors claimed she tried to kidnap a child. It’s been tough for him to eat or sleep.
Damian Noonan, 53, from Falmouth, is worried sick. He can’t even tell his partner about the crazy claims. The accusations started after they were seen outside a Wetherspoon pub. Police found no evidence against them.
Social media blew up with posts and photos of them. Damian is baffled by the accusations. He thinks his partner, 61, was just trying to help a child. She’s a bit old-fashioned and may have been guiding the child back to safety.
His partner is recovering from a stroke and is relearning English. This might have added to the confusion. They just went out for lunch, and suddenly, a crowd surrounded them, yelling and swearing.
Damian described the scene as terrifying. People were screaming and calling the police. Thankfully, the police arrived and helped them out of the situation.
He’s been feeling anxious, unsure if they can safely leave the house. His partner doesn’t even know what’s happening. She thinks there are just a lot of angry people around.
When he went to work, he had no idea the rumors were spreading. His manager asked him about it, and he had to explain the whole story. It’s just insane how quickly things escalated.
He remembers joining his partner outside the pub, facing a “drunken mob” taking photos and shouting. They thought it was funny, but it was anything but amusing for him.
People jumped to conclusions about his partner because she wasn’t speaking and walks with a limp. He explained she’s disabled and recovering from a stroke. They were just trying to enjoy a day out.
Damian believes his partner was just looking out for the child. She’s a typical Polish grandma, and he thinks she was trying to guide the child to safety. Sadly, she was even assaulted during the chaos.
He said she tried to shoo the child back to safety in her own way. But instead of understanding, people shouted at her without giving her a chance to explain.
“All these people on social media are putting us in danger over nothing,” he said. “I don’t know if they think it’s funny, but they’re destroying us. I’m in shreds.”
Damian’s sister, Claire, added that anyone who knows them would never believe they’d abduct a child. She feels the misunderstanding could have been cleared up if not for the violence.
She expressed how deeply saddened their family is by the incident and the way they’ve been treated online. Some claimed CCTV showed his partner taking the child, but police confirmed that wasn’t true.
A police spokesperson said they were called to the scene after reports of a suspicious incident. They found no evidence of wrongdoing. They are also investigating the assault on Damian’s partner.
