‘VIGILANTES’ LOCKED UP FOR TOTAL OF 63 YEARS
A GANG who plotted the “chilling” abduction of a child they claimed was at risk of Satanic abuse have been jailed for a total of 63 years.
Gang leaders Anke Hill, 51, and Wilfred Wong, 56, snatched the child from their foster carer at an Anglesey location on November 4.
Hill wrestled the child from their car seat and put them in a waiting vehicle, while Wong held a knife to the carer’s throat before slashing one of their car tyres to prevent them from following.
They then met Janet and Edward Stevenson, who had hired a car to take the child away.
Two others, Jane Going-Hill and Kristine Petley acted as lookouts to spot any police activity.
The child was safely recovered when the hire car was stopped on the M1 in Northamptonshire.
Wong, 51, from Camden, denied conspiracy to kidnap and possession of a bladed article but was convicted after a trial in August. He was jailed for 17 years for conspiracy to kidnap between July and November 2020. He received a further two years and six months for possessing a knife in a public place, to run concurrently.
Janet Stevenson, 67, and husband Edward Stevenson, 69, both of Crawley, West Sussex, also denied conspiracy to kidnap but were convicted after a trial.
They were jailed for 15 years and eight years, respectively.
Three women pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap.
Anke Hill, 53, of North Wales, was jailed for 14 years and five months.
Jane Going-Hill, 60, of Pump Street, Holyhead, was jailed for four years and eight months.
Kristine Ellis-Petley, 58, of Holyhead, was given a four-year jail term.
Her Honour Judge Nicola Jones said: “I am satisfied Anke Hill and Wilfred Wong were the leaders of the conspiracy and recruited others.
“All six of you were acting as vigilantes. Your motivation was to rescue Child A to prevent harm. But you all had sufficient intellects to realise that kidnap might cause harm to a child.
“You knew the family courts were involved but you thought you knew better.”
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: “The group had made a remarkable amount of planning to carry out this crime, including sourcing a passport with a view to take the child abroad.
“The facts of the case are chilling, and it must have been a terrifying experience for the child and carer.”