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Brave ... Jack Butler

A YOUNG Irish boy has escaped an abduction bid in the Canary Islands — by karate chopping his evil would-be kidnapper.

A suspected paedophile known to police grabbed Kildare lad Jack Butler near his family holiday bungalow in Lanzarote last Friday.

But the brave 12-year-old fought off the beast — and later identified him from a mugshot.

Spanish cops are now hunting the suspect — who’s alleged to be behind an indecent assault on a little girl just a short time earlier.

Last night, Jack’s mother Jane told the Irish Sun: “My greatest fear is it could have been another Madeleine McCann situation, that my child could have been taken from us and never seen again.

“The thought of what could have happened to Jack makes me feel physically sick. I threw up after we attended the police station.”  

Missing ... Maddie

Jack was just 20 metres away from Jane, dad David and four younger siblings — near their Puerto del Carmen bungalow — when the depraved predator pounced.

The monster tried to drag Jack into an underground car park.

Jane explained: “We were in a restaurant and Jack was cold, so we let him go back to our bungalow, 20 metres away, to get a jumper. He was on his way back when the man grabbed him.

“He’d been hiding behind a wall in a car park. He must have been watching and waiting.

“Jack managed to break free by karate chopping him on the arm.

“He ran to us and told us what had happened and that he heard the man driving off in his car with screeching tyres.”

Peaceful ... Lanzarote

Jane told how Jack was able to describe what the man wore — and even noticed he had a scar from his nose to his cheek.

She added: “The police arrived and told us they’d keep and eye out for him and to come in and make a statement the next day.

“They pulled up photographs of eight different men — and Jack immediately picked him out.

“The detectives told us that the man had already flown to Madrid at 9am that morning, but that the police there knew where he lived and would pick him up.

“Although we’re not due home until August 22, we wanted to leave straight away as the kids can’t sleep at night and are afraid to leave the windows open.

“But the police asked us to stay as they need Jack to go to court if they are to prosecute him.

“Jack has been very brave, but he is really shook up.

“When Madeleine McCann went missing I told my kids that if someone steals you it’s because they’ve no children of their own.

“But Jack now knows that’s not the truth and we have had to explain to him that this man’s intentions were not good.”

joanne.mcelgunn@the-sun.ie