Child abductor jailed after hotel tip-off

Amin Samater picked up the 13 and 15 year old girls in Middlesbrough town centre in August 2022

A "manipulative" man who abducted two teenage girls and tried to book them into a hotel has been jailed.

Amin Samater picked up the vulnerable 13 and 15 year olds in Middlesbrough town centre in August 2022, but aroused the suspicions of hotel staff when he tried to get a room for them, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The 31-year-old from Newcastle was found guilty of two counts of child abduction following a three-day trial in July.

Jailing him for 18 months, Judge Jonathan Carroll said Samater ''exploited and manipulated" his victims.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Samater spent a few hours with the girls, who he had called ''babies", before getting a taxi to a hotel.

He was arrested after the hotel receptionist called police.

Judge Carrol told Samater: ''You exploited their vulnerability. You knew they were children, you knew their ages.

"You are a manipulative man who built a degree of trust and confidence with the girls as you repeatedly tried to get them into a hotel room."

Samater was also given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

Det Con Shaun Watson of Cleveland Police, said: "I would like to thank the member of staff at the hotel who alerted police with her concerns, which allowed police to track down Samater and arrest him, and ensure the two girls were safe and well.

"Their actions potentially saved these two girls from any further harm and have assisted greatly with putting a dangerous offender behind bars."

He also commended the victims for their "bravery".

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