A 12-year-old child was abducted outside of a busy train station and driven 120 miles away.
Ava Jones, 28, and Trevor Carr, 40, threw a blanket over the child's head and told them to turn off their phone so they couldn't be tracked. The pair abducted the child, who was in school uniform, at Wigan North Western railway station and drove to a campsite in North Wales.
The pair argued during the journey, with the police calling them during the drive, resulting in the child screaming. Jones put a hand over the child's mouth and told officers that her name was David Jones, and that she was camping in Ireland.
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But when detectives tracked Jones' phone, they discovered they were at Fferm Cedris Farm Campsite in Abergynolwyn, North Wales. Jones had pitched up a tent and was staying in it with the child in separate sleeping bags, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Both Jones and Carr pleaded guilty to abduction and were jailed for at least two years. Prosecution barrister Matthew Curtis told Bolton Crown Court that the child, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, started speaking with Jones in September 2021.
Their early conversation revolved mostly around anime - which is Japanese animation - as well as discussing gender identity. But when the child's grandmother heard about the conversations with Jones, they told the 28-year-old to stop, warning them that it was 'grooming' and threatened legal action.
On October 4, the child went to school but did not return home, with their mum reporting them as missing at 4.19pm. The mum then found a note in the child's bedroom mentioning a grey Ford Focus Estate and Wigan North Western railway station.
The note also made reference to suicidal thoughts, and the court heard that the child was being bullied at school.
Jones had told police that "there's another gentleman involved as well", finding Carr sleeping in his car at a campsite near Minffordd. Upon his discovery, he told the officers "I know where they are" and that he had "advised them to go back".
During the police interviews, Jones attempted to blame Carr, describing the abduction as a 'bad idea'. She claimed that she was scared to be around Carr and had previously had a relationship.
Jones also admitted to talking to the victim for two months, and said that the child's nan knew they were in contact and that the victim's mum had given consent for the trip. She said that the child wanted to run away to Wales and claimed she didn't know she was breaking the law, and that she knew the child's age when she saw a PE kit in the tent.
But Carr stated that he had not planned to abduct the child, saying he had not had any contact with the victim until they met in his car. He said it was Jones who asked him to drive to Wigan to collect the child.
Jones, of no fixed abode, and Carr, of Burns Street, Bootle, both pleaded guilty to abduction on the basis that the offence was not sexually motivated. The court heard that the child did not report any sexualised conversations or state that any sexualised photographs had been shared.
The child said they have suffered since the abduction, and in a victim personal statement said: "My anxiety has got a lot worse. I've lost a lot of friends". They also said they "cry for hours on end" when thinking about the incident and has since self-harmed. The victim's mum added that their "lovely" child is now "distant" following the abduction.
Defence barrister Kevin Liston described Jones as a "complex character with a number of mental health issues". Mr Liston described the offence as "amateur" and "unsophisticated", and the relationship with the victim as "inappropriate" and "misguided".
Defending Carr, Steven Swift made reference to the lack of relevant previous convictions, and spoke about Carr's struggles with anxiety and depression. Mr Swift also stressed that Carr had been uncomfortable with the situation and argued with Jones about it.
Judge Tom Gilbart jailed Jones for two years and two months, while Carr was sentenced to two years in prison.
He said: "This is a deeply troubling case in which you both behaved in a bizarre and unsettling way. Adolescence is an uncertain time for many, often filled with insecurity and concerns about identity and you, Ava Jones, preyed upon the insecurities of your victim.
"Your behaviour in the build up to the offence can be categorised as grooming. You knew full well what you were doing was wrong.
"Trevor Carr, you at least to some extent sought to distance yourself. However you're both responsible for something that is obviously and seriously wrong - you abducted a child - away from home."
