A paedophile was already being investigated for the alleged sexual abuse of another child when he abducted and attacked a six-year-old schoolgirl.
Lewis Jones, 24, from Brocklebank Lane, Allerton, abducted and violently attacked the schoolgirl while she and some friends made a den on a field in Tameside, Manchester. Jones was sitting on a bench when he secretly took pictures of the children's bottoms, before he took his chance to snatch the girl.
He picked her up and ran over to a wooded area, covering her mouth with his hand so she couldn't scream out for help. Manchester Crown Court heard that during a near 30 minute period while he was alone with her, Jones subjected the child to a horrific, violent sexual attack, leaving her covered in blood, MEN reports.
READ MORE: Girl, 6, abducted by man while playing in field with her cousins
Jones only let her go after he heard her family screaming her name in a desperate bid to find her. He was handed into police by his own dad, after he saw pictures of his son released by Greater Manchester Police in a bid to catch the kidnapper.
Police said residents now feel "scared" of letting their children play out, and told how the terrifying incident has bred a feeling of "fear and distrust" in the area. Now Jones, who was already being investigated for the alleged sexual abuse of a child when he kidnapped the girl, has been handed a life sentence.
He will have to serve 12 years in prison before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board.
Judge Hilary Manley told Jones, who showed no emotion as he learned of his punishment: "I am not satisfied that you feel much remorse or have much insight into the damage you have caused."
Prosecuting, Vanessa Thomson told how the six-year-old victim had been playing out on a field with some other children who were making a den together when she was abducted in August last year. In the minutes earlier they had noticed Jones, who had been sat on a bench talking with someone on the phone, speaking with a scouse accent.
One of the children felt "uncomfortable" because Jones "kept smiling at her". He had then come over and asked if he could help them make the den. It was later discovered that Jones had been taking pictures of the children, including the girl he would shortly abduct, with the images focusing on their "bottom", Ms Thomson said.
When the other children were distracted, Jones took the opportunity to snatch the girl. He ran towards a wooded area carrying the child by the waist, and warned her that if she made a sound she'd never see her parents again.
After realising their friend was gone, an 11-year-old child immediately raised the alarm and the victim's family went to search for her.
Another child who had been playing nearby saw a man carrying a small girl who had blood over her T-shirt. The man was telling her "you're okay, you're okay".
She assumed the girl must have been related to the man. Later she saw the girl on a footpath alone screaming "help me, I've been kidnapped". The child's grandfather took in the girl and she was reunited with her family shortly after.
Ms Thomson said: "Her mum couldn't even give her a hug until her clothes had been formally recovered."
The girl disclosed details of what her attacker had done to her. She said he'd put his hand on her throat and sexually assaulted her. Her top was covered in blood after Jones had put his fingers down her throat and knocked one of her teeth out. It was found that he'd also taken pictures of her during the attack.
She struggled to eat that night due to her throat being sore, and suffered cuts and bruises to her face, legs and arms. Jones' semen was later discovered on the child's underwear. But prosecutors said they were not able to prove forensically whether he had penetrated her with his penis.
Jones fled the area on foot and later made it back to a hotel in Ancoats where he'd been staying with his dad. Within hours of kidnapping and sexually assaulting the child, he shared graphic pictures with a former girlfriend.
In the aftermath of the kidnapping, GMP issued CCTV images of Jones in a bid to track him down. Jones' dad saw the images and took his son to the police station at Manchester town hall. At that stage he denied any wrongdoing. But he later pleaded guilty to kidnap and two counts of assault by penetration.
The victim's mum read a statement read in court, she said: "When I first heard about what happened I couldn't stop screaming. I couldn't believe that someone had taken my little girl and assaulted her in such a horrific way.
"I feel helpless because I wasn't there to protect her."
She told how her daughter now has to sleep in bed with her and her husband to feel safe.
She added: "I feel lucky that she is still with us, we could easily have lost her that day. I feel very angry that he (Jones) has done this to us."
PC Craig Hill, a neighbourhood officer who works in Droylsden, told how the incident has created "fear and distrust" among the community.
He said: "They are now scared of letting their child out by themselves and are wary whenever they see strangers in the area. They have a fear their children aren't safe, and are reluctant to allow them out by themselves.
He said the kidnapping has had a negative impact in the area and has caused parents to be worried if their child arrives home late from school.
He said: "People still approach me in the street to express their feelings regarding this matter, such has been the impact of this incident."
Jones' barrister Brendan Carville said: "I can't explain why he has done these matters."
The court heard that Jones has no previous sexual offences on his record, but has convictions for common assault and harassment committed when he was a child, as well as criminal damage in 2018. There were also instances of "very troubling behaviour" when he was a juvenile, including putting his cat in the washing machine which caused it to drown.
Mr Carville said Jones' dad is a "user of crack cocaine and heroin" and his mum "died of Covid". Jones, previously of Brocklebank Lane, Liverpool, had moved to Manchester to stay with his dad who had been rehomed in the city.
A psychiatric report was commissioned to examine Jones' mental health, but it was discovered there was "no evidence of a major mental illness". At the time he kidnapped the child in Tameside, Jones was being investigated by Merseyside Police after he allegedly sexually abused a 12-year-old girl.
He allegedly lied to her about his age, telling her he was 14 when he was actually 21. Jones was interviewed by police in June 2020 but was released under investigation, and was not charged until October last year, after the kidnapping in Tameside.
After the hearing, Detective Superintendent Gareth Jenkins of GMP said: "Firstly, we would like to thank the young victim and her family, who have shown considerable strength and bravery when seeing this prosecution through until sentencing today. As a team and a force, we are extremely pleased with today’s result, which has seen Jones, an abhorrent individual, removed from the streets for a considerable length of time.
"My officers acted quickly, securing identification of Jones who was a stranger to Tameside. This was only achieved by securing evidence of his approach and exit to the scene and I am very grateful to them and the officer in the case who worked tirelessly and under significant pressure to get this to where we are today.
"People like this should not be free to roam our streets and put our young population at risk – something GMP are committed to. If you have any information regarding any such crimes, we encourage you to get in touch with us. You will be believed and we will help you.
"You can contact us 24 hours a day via 101 or through our Live Chat function on our website, www.gmp.police.uk. You can also pass information anonymously through the independent charity – Crimestoppers – on 0800 555 111."
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