Man jailed for kidnap and sexual assault of 14-year-old girl

A Stoke-on-Trent man has been jailed for six years for the kidnap and sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in March.

Mark Baddeley, 31, of Station Road, Stoke-on-Trent, was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court after pleading guilty to four offences on Monday (29 April).

He pleaded guilty to meeting a girl under 16-years-old following grooming, possession of a knife in a public place, kidnap and kidnap/false imprisonment with intent to commit a sexual offence.

Baddeley has been sentenced to six years with an extended license for five years. A Sexual Harm Prevention Order has been imposed on Baddeley indefinitely. He will also be required to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

The offences relate to an incident that took place in Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, on 24 March 2019. A girl was approached by Baddeley at 2.20pm and threatened with a knife. He pulled her towards a pathway but then let her go. She was not injured. Following the release of a CCTV image Baddeley was arrested on 27 March.

DC Andrew Rushton, of Staffordshire Police’s Child Protection and Exploitation Team, said: “This was a terrifying incident for the victim. I hope this result has provided her with some justice when coming to terms with what she experienced.”