Newcastle Primark kidnapping: Two teenagers sentenced

The two girls, aged 14 and 13 years old, will be detained for 3 years and 3 months for kidnapping a toddler in Newcastle Primark.

Published 18th Jul 2016

Two teenagers who kidnapped a toddler from a Primark in Newcastle have been sentenced today.

The girls, aged 13 and 14-years-old, will be detained for three years and three months after sentencing at Newcastle Crown Court.

The two-year-old was taken from her mother from the store in Northumberland Street, before being tracked via CCTV and found with the girls in a park almost 2 hours later.

The teenagers had taken the toddler onto the Metro and stopped at Gosforth, stopping to steal a baby bottle and milk from a local shop.

The judge claimed both girls gave completely different explanations for committing the crime and said the sentence reflected the planning, targeting, grooming and dishonesty of their behaviour.

Mr Justice Globe also stressed his concern at the content of online searches on the 13-year-old's iPad.

Police examined the iPad and found between December and March, 1185 web searches were made, with 402 of these being of a sexual nature.

The searches included slavery, abduction, rape and child sex.

Mr Justice Globe made it clear the sentences would have exceeded 10 years had the defendants been adults.

There was no seperate penalty for the thefts committed.