Child kidnap gang trapped in M1 Northamptonshire Police chase jailed for 63 years

A gang of child kidnappers hunted down on the M1 by Northamptonshire Police have been jailed for a total of 63 years.

Three Armed Response Vehicles cornered a silver Citroen Picasso with false number plates near to Junction 15 after being alerted by colleagues in North Wales.

Officers rescued the eight-year-old "safely and unharmed" just hours after she had been abducted at knifepoint 200 miles away in Anglesey.

Dramatic footage of the manouevre to halt the getaway vehicle was later shared by the Force.

The group claimed the child was a victim of satanic abuse.

Anke Hill, 51, and Wilfred Wong, 53, snatched the child from their foster carer as they arrived home from school on November 4 last year.

Hill wrestled the child from their car seat and put them in a waiting vehicle while Wong held a knife to the foster carer’s throat before slashing one of the carer’s car tyres to stop them from following.

They then met Janet and Edward Stevenson who had hired a car to take the child away from Wales.

Two others, Jane Going-Hill and Kristine Petley acted as lookouts on bridges from Anglesey to the Welsh mainland to spot any police activity, facilitating the car's escape routes.

All six were jailed at Caernarfon Crown Court this week.

A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution services said: “The group had made a remarkable amount of planning to carry out this crime, including sourcing a passport with a view to take the child abroad.

“The facts of the case are chilling, and it must have been a terrifying experience for the child and carer.

“Through detailed analysis of the material provided by the police, the CPS built a strong case which resulted in these convictions.”

Wong was found guilty of consipracy to kidnap and possession of a knife after a trial and jailed for 19 years, six months plus an extended license period of five years.

Hill pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and was jailed for 14 years, five months plus five years on license.

Janet Stevenson, Edward Stevenson, Going-Hill and Ellis-Petley received sentences ranging from four years to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to kidnap.