World affairs

An 11-year-old with an Irish background ran away from his mother in Manchester this week – and made it all the way to Rome before he was caught.

Liam Corcoran-Fort, whose family reportedly hails from Co Kilkenny, left his mother at a shopping centre in Manchester on Tuesday afternoon.

Liam is not your typical runaway, though. Described as a boy “with a history of running away and hopping on and off trains and buses”, he decided to take things to the next level by trying his arm at a spot of unaccompanied long-haul travel from Manchester Airport.

He evaded five separate security and boarding-pass checks before making it onto a Jet2 flight bound for Rome, settling into the bathroom for take-off.

Cabin crew staff only became suspicious of little Liam when they were alerted by other passengers of the young boy who appeared to be travelling alone.

In the meantime, his mother Mary had reported Liam missing back in Manchester – and was soon told that he was halfway to Rome.

Five security personnel have been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation by airline and airport.

We await with interest to see where Liam Corcoran ends up next. Having graduated from buses and trains to airplaces, surely space travel is next up?

On your guard, Fort Lauderdale.