A woman attempted to kidnap a baby in a stroller outside an ice cream shop, causing panic among onlookers. Nicolette Goldrick, 51, made a bold move to grab a seven-month-old infant who was left unattended in the pram while the mother was inside a nearby store. Goldrick released the pram brake and started pushing it down the street on May 10, prompting the baby’s mother to react swiftly by shouting and chasing after Goldrick until she apprehended her.
A surveillance video captured the shocking incident as Goldrick, wearing a mask, nonchalantly wheeled the pram away while periodically glancing back into the shop on Central Drive in Blackpool. Moments later, Goldrick halted and turned the pram around, only to be confronted by the mother and another woman rushing to rescue the baby. The mother intervened by pushing Goldrick’s hands away from the pram and engaging with her.
Following the ordeal, Goldrick quietly left the scene but was later apprehended by authorities upon her return to the vicinity near the shop. She displayed hostility towards the arresting officers, verbally abusing them and even spitting at one of them while being transported in a police vehicle, as reported by Lancashire Constabulary.
Subsequently, Goldrick admitted to the charges of child abduction and assaulting an emergency worker at Preston Crown Court. She received a 12-month prison sentence and a five-year restraining order on Tuesday. During the sentencing, the parents expressed the traumatic impact of the incident, describing it as the “worst day of their lives” and an ordeal they will never fully recover from, as conveyed in a statement read on their behalf.
Tom Snape, Senior Crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service North West, condemned Goldrick’s actions, emphasizing the sheer terror inflicted on the baby’s mother and the community. He remarked on Goldrick’s lack of remorse, evident in her behavior towards law enforcement. The police confirmed that the baby emerged unscathed from the distressing encounter near Coral Island amusements in town.