Man jailed for trying to kidnap nine-year-old girl

A man has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for trying to kidnap a nine-year-old girl on a street in Birmingham.

The victim was walking home along Belmont Road in Bearwood when 37-year-old Edward Burns, from Smethwick, grabbed her by her coat and dragged her into an alleyway.

The young girl’s screams alerted a member of the public who confronted Burns and told him to leave the victim alone.

A police investigation led to the arrest of Burns, who was charged with and later pleaded guilty to kidnap.

Heath Westerman, Acting District Crown Prosecutor from West Midlands Crown Prosecution, said: