Shoplifter who snatched a four-year-old girl then tried to abduct a two-year-old boy as they walked with their mothers in random kidnap ordeals is jailed for 28 months
- Toni Betts, 37, had a ‘reputation’ for trying to abduct children, a court was told
- Read more: Paedo who tortured children could have been stopped THREE YEARS before police launched probe
A shoplifter who snatched a four-year-old girl and tried to abduct a two-year-old boy as they walked with their mothers has been jailed.
Toni Betts, 37, initially tried to frame her sister but later blamed her behaviour on a severe mental illness.
Minshull Street Crown Court heard that the two incidents happened within two months of each other, during a campaign of terror against young mothers.
Betts kidnapped one girl in the street while she was with her parent, and then during a separate incident attempted to abduct a two-year-old boy whilst, again, he was out walking with his mother.
She has been jailed for 28 months after she pleaded guilty to kidnap and attempted kidnap.
In police interview, Toni Betts denied she the kidnapper and falsely claimed it was her sister who was responsible
The 37-year-old snatched one four year old girl in the street then later tried to abduct a two-year-old boy as both youngsters were walking with their mums
During the first incident last year, Betts picked up the little girl up in her arms and fled up a flight set of concrete steps, whilst shockingly spitting at the child’s mother and threatening to kill her.
At the time, the terrified girl screamed in horror and tried to fight off her abductor, saying: ‘I don’t like this. I want my mum.’
In the second incident, Betts grabbed onto the arm of a two-year-old boy as he and his mum were walking home from a shopping trip.
Luckily, both youngsters were rescued within moments of the terrifying abductions. Neither child was harmed.
Betts from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, denied she was the kidnapper and initially tried to frame her sister during a police interview. But later, she blamed her behaviour on not taking medication for a schizophrenic-type disorder.
The court also heard how she had a ‘reputation’ for trying to abduct children.
Speaking out about the horror incident, the little girl’s mother says that she now feels ‘uneasy and anxious’, and has even been prescribed sleeping pills for the ‘nightmares’ she endures.
In a statement, she said: ‘I had my own life issues at the time and this incident made me feel uneasy and anxious about taking my daughter out. I’ve had to be prescribed sleeping tablets for nightmares I’ve been having about what this woman did. Who knows what would have happened if she had dropped my daughter on the concrete stairs as I followed her up.
A court heard how Betts, from Greater Manchester, had a ‘reputation’ for trying to abduct children
‘I’m trying to remain strong for my daughter’s sake but I’m also worried for other potential victims, not just my own daughter.’
Meanwhile, the mother of the two-year-old boy said that she feels like a ‘useless mother’ for allowing her son to have been snatched by a stranger.
She said: ‘Since this incident has made me feel Iike a useless mother because I did not see something like this happening. I did not sleep that night as I was worried about every scenario.
‘All I have wanted to do since is cry and I’m just thankful I was with her partner and not just with my son. I’m now worried about other children in the area and I feel this woman is a danger to others.’
At Minshull Street Crown Court, Betts appeared by video link from Styal women’s prison in Cheshire.
She was jailed for 28 months, after pleading guilty to kidnap and attempted kidnap.
The first incident occurred at 11.40am on April 28 of last year on a street in Rochdale where a woman was with her four-year-old daughter.
In prosecution, David James recalled the incident.
Mr James said: ‘The defendant shouted ‘Hi’ from a block of flats opposite.
‘They have known each other for a number of years, though they are not friends. She came across from the flats to cross the road and grabbed the child by the arm and physically picked her up so that she was carrying her and then ran back to the flat.
‘The mother chased and remonstrated with her but the defendant told her ‘This is my daughter, what are you doing?’ The mother then pursued the defendant upstairs who was still carrying her daughter. The defendant then spat in her face. At the top of the stairs the mother has grabbed the defendant’s arms.
‘The child was saying, ‘I don’t like this. I want my mum.’ The child started to hit the defendant who was shouting for the mother to get off her. Two males came from another flat, fortunately and knew exactly what was going on. They removed her from the defendant and gave her back to the mother and restrained the defendant. She then shouted, ‘I am going to kill you.’
Following the incident, Betts was quizzed by police but was later released under investigation.
The second incident the took place at 12:30am on June 9, while a woman and her partner were returning home from a visit to Rochdale town centre.
Betts has been issued with an indefinite restraining order prohibiting her from contacting or approaching either of the mothers or their children
The prosecutor said that: ‘Part of their route required that they go under the subway under Manchester Road.
‘As they were exiting the subway they saw the defendant. Miss Betts was known particularly because of her reputation for kidnapping.
‘The defendant initially pretended to stoop and tie her shoelaces and the woman moved to the side to allow the defendant space to get by. But the defendant grabbed the boy by his right arm sufficiently forcefully that the mother who was holding her son’s arm was pulled towards the defendant as the defendant grabbed her son.’
He continued to explain that the mum tried to push Betts away, but after she tracked down her child the 37-year-old continued to follow them home.
Mr James said: ‘The mother was trying to push the defendant away to make her let go of her son’s arm. The defendant then ran away and the mother followed her shortly afterwards because the defendant stopped to speak to another male. The woman tried to speak to the male to warn him about the defendant. She said she was shocked and shaking as she walked home.
‘But in fact the ordeal did not stop at that point in time as the defendant began following her from a distance. The mother realised this and took an elongated route, a circuitous route home, to try and lose her.’
She had 56 previous offences on her record – mainly for shoplifting.
Her counsel, Stuart Duke, said: ‘She has a severe and enduring mental illness which has manifested itself in these offences. She is remorseful but she says she was clearly very unwell. However she is ashamed of herself and quite rightly, these were frightening offences although there was no physical harm caused to the children.
Sentencing Betts, Judge Mark Savill told her: ‘In the first incident you grabbed the little girl, picked her up and raced up the stairs. I am not saying you were going to hurt her but you were at some height and her mother must have been terrified about either what would happen deliberately or due to an accident.
‘With regard to the second incident, you obviously knew what you were going to do. You pretended to tie your shoe laces then grabbed the boy’s right hand and tried to forcefully pull him away from his mum. That pulled his mum towards you and she then pushed you away and you ran off.
‘The mother was in shock and shaking.
‘This was serious offending is because of the sheer unexpected nature of it and the unpredictability as to what you were doing. What you did must have been every parent’s worst nightmare.’
Betts was also issued with an indefinite restraining order.
This has been enforced, prohibiting her from contacting or approaching either of the mothers or their children.
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