Sexual predator who kidnapped a six-year-old in broad daylight jailed
A 24-year-old man was sentenced on 25 April 2023 following his guilty plea to kidnapping a six-year-old girl and sexually assaulting her in August 2022.
On 22 August 2022 the six-year-old had been playing with other children on a field in Droylsden. The children were building a den with sticks.
Lewis Jones offered to help them collect sticks. He then grabbed the girl under his arm, stuck his fingers in her mouth, and took her away from the area. One of the other children tried to follow but lost them.
The children present in the field said that Jones had been sitting on a bench watching them whilst they played for an hour or so before grabbing the six-year-old.
Police were contacted and family members searched for her. She was located in the same area 20 minutes later.
After carrying her away from the field, Jones took her to a van and put her in the back where he sexually assaulted her and took indecent photographs, which police later recovered from his phone.
The child had bruises, abrasions and her tooth knocked out as a result of the incident.
Jones was arrested by police the following day.
Jones was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to life in prison and will serve a minimum of 12 years before he can apply for parole.
Ruth Mann, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offence Unit said: “Jones is a sexual predator and a danger to children. A six-year-old child being kidnapped in broad daylight is every parent’s worst nightmare.
“Jones took the child for his own sexual gratification with no thought for the lasting damage his sickening attack would cause.
“The strength of the evidence was such that in this case Jones had no option but to plead guilty.
“The CPS is committed to bringing sex offenders to justice. I hope this sentence will give the child and their family some sense of justice and that they can now begin to put what happened behind them.”
Notes to editors
- Lewis Jones (DoB 22/12/1998) was sentenced to nine years in prison, in relation to separate child sex offences. Between 1 January and 28 January 2020 Jones began a relationship with a 12-year-old girl he met via a friend on social media. He told her he was 15 years old. Jones and the teenager spoke regularly over social media and met on a few occasions before and after her 13th birthday. Jones pleaded guilty at court to six offences in relation to the girl and admitted that he had had sex with the girl knowing she was 13 years old at the time.