Baby Snatch Attempt Foiled By Mother

A mother has successfully fought off a man and a woman who attempted to snatch her baby daughter from her pram in Leigh, Greater Manchester.

Shortly after 8pm on Sunday 12 August 2007, the 30-year-old mother was pushing a pram with her four-month-old daughter along Wigan Road, close to the Hulme Road junction.

As she got to the other side of the Pelican Crossing she was approached by a man and a woman. Without warning the woman reached into the pram, shouting "Get the baby, get the baby," and attempted to lift the baby out. The mother then fought the woman off, but the man reached into the pram and grabbed the baby. But as the child was strapped into the pram, the man gave up and ran off. The woman then made a second attempt to grab the baby, but the mother knocked her to the ground. The woman then got up and ran off in the same direction as the man.

The mother and her child were unhurt, but the mother was traumatised.

Police have issued a description of the assailants. The man is white, about 5ft 7in tall, in his 40s with a muscular build and very short jet black hair. He was wearing black trainers, black jeans and a black leather jacket which was fastened up to cover most of his face.

The woman was also white, around 5ft 6in tall, in her 40s with a slim build and jet black hair scraped back into a bun and piercing green eyes. She was wearing black trainers, dark green combat trousers and a black canvas jacket which was elasticated around the waist. Both offenders were wearing black knitted gloves.

Detective sergeant Graham Rigby, of Wigan CID, said: "This was a deeply disturbing incident in which a couple tried to snatch a baby from a pram. Thankfully the mother had strapped her baby into the pram and had the wherewithal to fight off the would-be abductors.

"She put up a determined fight against the couple and managed to fend them off, but she was left understandably horrified by what happened.

"We now need to hear from anyone who either saw what happened, or who saw this couple before the incident. We need to catch these people before they put another mother through a similar ordeal."

Anyone with information can contact Wigan CID on 0161 856 5307 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

(SP/JM)