Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court (Image: Mark Harvey / Alamy)
Last Updated: 3 April 2026
A 34-year-old man has been sentenced to ongoing detention in a mental health facility after attempting to abduct two young children from a Cardiff park and then trying to force his way into a nursery in Bridgend county the following day.
Moynul Janu, of no fixed abode, admitted attempted kidnap at a previous hearing before Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.
The incidents
On 3 July 2025, children were playing in water fountains at the free-to-use splash pad in Victoria Park, Cardiff, when Janu approached a girl under the age of five. He touched her leg with his leg and placed his foot over the fountain.
The child’s mother immediately intervened, pulling her daughter away and moving towards another parent to explain what was happening. Janu followed, positioning himself between the two women before telling them he was “grabbing the kids” and taking hold of an arm of each child.
Both women shouted at him and physically blocked him. The court heard he then tapped one of the children on the head before stepping away and appearing to speak into a smart watch.
When challenged by park staff, Janu claimed he had not been taking photos, said he did not have a phone, and that his smart watch was not charged. He told them he was looking for work, that he was married with children in Bangladesh, and that he was homeless in the UK.
Police were called and he was taken from the park to Cardiff city centre, where he was released.
Nursery lockdown
The very next day, Janu was found in the reception area of a nursery in Bridgend county where 17 children were being cared for. When a staff member approached him, he pushed past and attempted to reach the children in a locked area by pressing numbers into a keypad on the wall.
The nursery initiated lockdown procedures. Janu remained in the hallway and outside the building for around 15 minutes before leaving. He was arrested nearby.
Impact on the families
In a victim impact statement read to the court, the mother of one of the children at Victoria Park said she believed “he would have taken her if he’d had the opportunity”. She told the court she had been “afraid this man would come and get my child from my own home” and expressed concern that her increased anxiety would affect her child in the future.
Her daughter had woken up screaming “he is coming to get me” in the days following the incident.
The mother of the second child said: “A strange man tried to take my child in front of me without registering what he was doing was wrong.”
Sentencing
The court heard Janu had a history of mental illness. He was sentenced to ongoing detention in a mental health facility.
