A 24-year-old, Lewis Jones, has received a life sentence for the brutal abduction of a six-year-old girl and an attempted sexual assault in the adjacent woodlands of Greater Manchester.
This week, Manchester Crown Court heard that Lewis Jones inflicted 30 minutes of severe torture on the child, who was left covered in blood after being abducted from a field in Droylsden, Tameside, where she was constructing a den with pals. The presiding judge imposed a minimum 12-year sentence, determining that, despite the heinous nature of Jones’ offences, he exhibited a lack of “remorse.” Court sources indicated that Jones exhibited little emotion during his sentencing.
Last August, Lewis Jones was seated on a bench adjacent to his victim and her companions, covertly photographing their posteriors before abducting the girl.
One of the children said she felt “uncomfortable” before Lewis Jones snatched her friend as he “kept smiling at her”. Earlier, he had spoken to the group and asked if he could help make the den.
When they appeared distracted, Lewis Jones grabbed the six-year-old and pulled her into nearby woods, where she was subjected to a 30-minute assault. He threatened if she made a sound, she’d never see her parents again.
The girl 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. He’d also taken pictures of the girl during the attack.
Lewis Jones only let her go after he heard her family screaming her name as they began a desperate search of the area.
The alarm was raised by an 11-year-old who told her family what had happened.
Another girl playing nearby saw Lewis Jones carrying her with blood over her T–shirt.
She heard the man say: “You’re okay, you’re okay”. Later, she saw the girl alone on a footpath. She was screaming: “Help me, I’ve been kidnapped.”
The paedophile fled the area on foot and returned to a hotel in Ancoats, where he was staying with his father. A few hours later, he shared explicit images of the incident with a former girlfriend.
Greater Manchester Police issued CCTV images of Jones after the attack in a bid to track him down. The criminal’s father saw the images and took his son to the police station.
After he denied involvement when questioned by police, he later admitted to kidnap and two counts of assault by penetration.
The child’s mother, in a victim impact statement, said she “couldn’t stop screaming” when she found out about the attack, adding she “could not believe someone had taken my little girl and assaulted her in such a horrific way.”
Passing sentence, Judge Hilarly Manley said: “I am not satisfied that you feel much remorse or have much insight into the damage you have caused.”
She handed a life sentence down to the atttacker with a 12-year tariff before he is eligible for parole.
Police said residents now feel “scared” of letting their children play out, and the terrifying incident has bred a feeling of “fear and distrust” in the area.
Unbelievably, at the time he kidnapped the child in Tameside, Lewis Jones was being investigated by Merseyside Police after a 12-year-old girl was sexually assaulted.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 111 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.