A serious incident caused a stir in the Greek community of Coburg last week when a 41-year-old man was arrested for attempting to kidnap two children on October 6.

The accused is being held in protective custody for his own safety.

His name was made public, but Neos Kosmos have chosen not to publish it. It is noted that he is not of Greek origin.

According to the police, the man followed a woman and a child to a pharmacy on Victoria Street and followed them to their car.

The child got out of the car and ran away, before the man allegedly followed her. The woman intervened while the child sought safety inside the pharmacy.

A little later, he allegedly entered the courtyard of the Greek Orthodox church of the Presentation of the Lord, in the hall of which the Aetolian College of Hellenic Language and Culture is also housed.

At that time, the children were in the courtyard, and the accused allegedly hid and tried to convince a little girl to follow him by offering her a lollipop.

The little girl, taught by her mother of what to do, ran to tell her, when parents and teachers then intervened.

The adults detained the accused until the police arrived. During the arrest, there were also incidents, with the man being taken by the police to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

He was later interviewed by detectives and charged with several offences including stalking (x2), attempted child stealing (x2) and grooming for sexual conduct with a child under the age of 16.

The court on Tuesday rejected his lawyer’s request to withhold his name, ruling that there was not enough evidence to circumvent the principle of open justice.

The defendant was remanded to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court next week, with the case now being considered for a possible felony upgrade.

The priest of the Presentation of the Lord, Leonidas Ioannou, speaking to Neos Kosmos, confirmed the episode.

“Fortunately, we always take strict safety measures for our children. Our teachers are properly trained for such incidents and acted promptly and correctly,” he said.

“Not only were no students threatened, but they contributed to the arrest of the accused.

“In addition to the principal and the teachers, a parent police officer who was not on duty also played a decisive role.”

Father Leonidas added that, later, both he and the police informed the parents about how to deal with such suspicious incidents, enhancing the safety and information of the community.