Jailed: Evil teen girls who snatched Primark kid
Judge locks up Primark tot kidnappers
TWO teenage girls who kidnapped a tot from a Primark had “evil intent” a judge said yesterday as he locked them up.
One of the pair, aged just 13 and 14, had scoured the web for “slavery, rape and child sex” before luring the youngster from its mum in the Newcastle store.
The judge Mr Justice Globe – who was junior prosecution counsel in the trial of James Bulger’s killers – told them: “Neither of you has explained to my satisfaction your actions on the day in question.”
He concluded that the toddler was going to be harmed by the girls, or others, had the police not found her, and added they had “evil intent”.
He detained the pair for three years and three months.
Both girls claimed they abducted the two-year-old following pressure from a third party. But police found there was no evidence of anyone else being involved in the kidnap on April 13. Earlier that day the pair had tried to kidnap another child at the Primark store – but their plan was foiled by the youngster’s mum.
They finally carried out their elaborate plot later that afternoon and took the girl to a park three miles away, having given her sweets.
Police found her unharmed and she was reunited with her mother two hours later.
After her arrest, the 13-year-old’s tablet computer was analysed. Of 1,185 internet searches made since she got the device for Christmas, 402 were of a pornographic nature.
Prosecutor Sarah Barlow told Newcastle Crown Court: “It began with searches in relation to teenagers having sex, kids having sex.
“It moved on to topics such as forced sex, slavery, girls collected and trained, torment, people getting raped, children having sex, also searches in relation to abduction and dragged into a van and raped.”
The 13-year-old defendant had been groomed by an unknown man and swapped sexual messages on a chat site, the court heard yesterday.
Her mother found “vile” pornographic images on the tablet. Julie Clemitson, defending the younger girl, said her client had been sexually exploited, adding: “She is a damaged, vulnerable young girl.”
Andrew Walker, for the older girl, said she claimed a man told them to take the child and was with them on the day of the kidnap. But CCTV checks showed that was a lie.
The girls had pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to a charge of kidnap and shoplifting.