Man jailed for attempt to abduct four-year-old boy

A man has been jailed for attempting to abduct a four-year-old boy from a car park.

Andrzej Palosz claimed he wanted to see how the child’s mother would react to her son being taken away by a “random stranger” after watching child snatcher videos on YouTube.

The 48-year-old pleaded guilty to attempting to abduct the boy in Bathgate, West Lothian, on May 7.

Palosz was sentenced him to 40 months in prison and will be supervised for 12 months following his release.

The Polish national will be deported to his home country on his release after completing his sentence.

‘Extremely shaken and frightened’

The court heard the boy’s mum was collecting her two children from Bathgate Early Years Centre at around midday when she saw Palosz speaking to her son before leading him away by the hand.

She grabbed the boy from his grasp and took the youngster to her car where she began buckling both of her children into their car seats.

Palosz came up behind her and started trying to pull her son out of the vehicle. She managed to shut the car door but Palosz began pulling at the handle.

When she tried to get into her car he stood in her way blocking her path and shouting: “Open the door.”

The mum began recording him on her mobile phone because she feared for her own safety and that of her children, who were by this time crying inside the car.

A witness who saw what was happening came over and intervened, distracting Palosz long enough for the woman to get into her car and drive off, contacting the police as she left.

Officers who spoke to her found her to be “extremely shaken and frightened” by the experience.

Police arrested Palosz on steps in the car park while under the influence of alcohol.

‘Staged abductions’

Lesley Cunningham, defending, said Palosz had watched YouTube videos about “staged abductions” in which an individual would attempt to take a child from an unsuspecting member of the public to see how they reacted.

She told the court: “He tells me this was not an incident which was in any way premeditated. He tells me it was almost an opportunistic event in that he spotted the family and this idea came to him.

“In the video he presents as completely shambolic and appears entirely under the influence of alcohol – that’s not to detract from what would have been a horrific incident for the family and members of the public who witnessed it.”

She added: “He wishes to apologise to the family and fully recognises the trauma that he will have caused everyone. That’s something he’ll have to live with.”

She said the accused was homeless before his arrest and had been sleeping at his place of work. He had been drinking heavily in the months leading up to the offence.

Sheriff Susan Craig described the case as “horrific”.

“You spoke to the child, you took the child’s hand and you led the child away,” she said.

“It was only because the mother intervened – which must have been terrifying for her – that she was able to get the child back from you.”

Sheriff Craig said she had read the victim impact statement in which the woman told how she was now fearful to go out.

She said she had considered remitting the case to the High Court for a longer sentence because of the seriousness of the offence.