Child took ambassador's mobile phone at Kildare Village

The Chinese Ambassador’s official mobile phone was stolen by a child as he tried on a jacket at Kildare Village last Saturday, it has emerged.

Ambassador Yue Xiaoyong had been invited as an official guest to the VIP section of the shopping outlet when the incident happened.

Gardaí believe a young girl — who was accompanied by her mother - was responsible for swiping Dr Xiaoyong’s phone.

A source told the Irish Daily Mail: "The Chinese Ambassador was shopping in Kildare Village last Saturday.

"As he tried on a jacket, he put his phone down briefly and it was then taken.

"It was a woman with her kids. She got a daughter to take it and left."

A number of searches have been carried out to locate the phone and Garda investigations are continuing.

It is believed the family responsible are not from the local area but are well-known to gardaí.