Man admits snatching girl, nine, in street

Edward Burns struck in broad daylight on a Sunday afternoon, grabbing the youngster in Belmont Road after she got off a bus and running off with her under his arm.

The 37-year-old ran down an alley that led to his home with the girl kicking and screaming in his grasp.

A mother out for a walk with her own child spotted him and shouted at him to let the youngster go, which he did and then fled the scene.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard this week how Burns, of Bearwood Road, was arrested at his flat, which overlooked the scene, two days later after his young victim gave a detailed description of the culprit.

Burns, who has no history of offences against children, struck at lunchtime on March 29 after spotting the girl get off at a nearby bus stop alone.

He admitted kidnap when he appeared on a prison video link at the court hearing on Wednesday. He was remanded in custody for reports, including a psychiatric assessment.

Mr Gurdeep Garcha, defending, asked for any relevant underlying issues to be explored in what he described as a 'troubling' case.

Judge John Wait told Burns: "You have pleaded guilty and will receive the appropriate credit when sentence is passed."

Burns, who neighbours said was an unmarried loner, is understood to have just a single previous criminal conviction for burglary committed some time ago.

A person who knows the defendant said: "He went up to the girl in the street, pushed her to the ground before picking her up and carrying her away. He did not know her.

"He had her under his arm and was going down an alleyway from Belmont Road that would have given access to his flat when he was spotted. The girl was kicking and screaming. Luckily a passing woman heard the noise, saw what was going on and shouted at him. I dread to think what might have happened otherwise."

Detective Sergeant Leighton Shingles, from Force CID at West Midlands Police, said today: "It is important to remember that abductions by strangers are extremely rare.

"The young girl was very upset by the attack but fortunately wasn't injured. She was remarkably brave and gave us a detailed description of the man who attacked her which led to his arrest and his guilty plea. A women who was alerted by the distressed girl should also be thanked for her public-spirited actions, after intervening by approaching her to see if she was OK.

"We would remind people to report any suspicious activity to police on 101. Reports are always taken seriously and investigated based on the information from the accounts given."