Man snatched Carlisle toddler as she watched TV with her grandfather

Andrzej Jasinski had previously been jailed for arson

A man snatched a toddler after walking into her home and attacking her grandfather as the pair watched TV.

Andrzej Jasinski entered the property in Carlisle's Thomson Street through an unlocked door at 09:00 BST on 9 September.

After punching the girl's grandfather, he ran off with her under his arm.

At Carlisle Crown Court, the 38-year-old was jailed for three years and 10 months having admitted kidnap and assault.

A witness said Jasinski held the youngster under his left arm as he forcefully hit the child's relative when the scuffle spilled outside.

The 63-year-old struck his head on a parked car as he fell and was unable to give chase.

Two men who had seen the attack found Jasinski a short distance away.

'Nightmare situation'

As he handed the girl over, he was heard to say: "That child belongs to jihad."

Prosecutor Gerard Rogerson told the court the girl's grandfather had felt "overwhelming guilt and upset" that he could not rescue her.

Having been returned unharmed, Mr Rogerson said the child had been laughing.

He added: "It seems, mercifully, that she regarded this as something of a game."

Defence lawyer Jeff Smith said Jasinski, also of Thomson Street, could "provide no explanation at all" for his actions.

Judge Nicholas Barker noted Jasinksi had abused drugs, aggravating mental health difficulties, and described him as a "dangerous offender".

The court heard he had been given a 40-month jail term in 2019 for arson after starting a fire at a property in Brunton Avenue as a family slept.

In a statement released after the sentencing, Det Con Lisa Atkinson, of Cumbria Police, described what had happened as "a nightmare situation for any parent or grandparent".