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Child kidnaps and sex abuse in Oldbury: Michael Jackson jailed | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
A "predatory" paedophile who kidnapped and sexually assaulted a 10-year-old boy he held prisoner in a cupboard has been jailed indefinitely. | |
Michael Jackson, who had tied up the boy, was arrested last November after the child was found at his flat in Oldbury, West Midlands. | |
The abduction and abuse sparked mass street protests across Oldbury. | |
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Jackson, 50, also abducted a girl, 11, in the West Midlands in September 2011. | |
Det Ch Insp Gary Booth said the cases had left the victims and their families "traumatised" and they were still recovering a year on. | |
He said: "This time last year we had two normal children. They are now introverted and they don't like going out alone." | |
Judge Martin Walsh ordered Jackson to serve at least seven years before being eligible to apply for parole. | |
Pliers and hammer | |
Jackson, from Bristnall Hall Road, pleaded guilty in May to abducting the girl. He admitted charges including sexual assault, false imprisonment and kidnap relating to the boy's disappearance. | Jackson, from Bristnall Hall Road, pleaded guilty in May to abducting the girl. He admitted charges including sexual assault, false imprisonment and kidnap relating to the boy's disappearance. |
Hundreds of people held demonstrations in the local area after his arrest, calling for action to protect local children from paedophiles. | |
The judge told Jackson: "I am satisfied that had [the boy] not escaped, he would have been subjected to further serious sexual abuse or worse. | |
"He was, fortuitously, able to escape from the cupboard. When he entered the bedroom, he saw a knife, pliers and a hammer - articles he believed would be used to kill him. | "He was, fortuitously, able to escape from the cupboard. When he entered the bedroom, he saw a knife, pliers and a hammer - articles he believed would be used to kill him. |
"It is simply impossible to imagine the sheer terror experienced by that young child as a result of your actions." | "It is simply impossible to imagine the sheer terror experienced by that young child as a result of your actions." |
West Midlands Police said the boy had failed to return home after walking to a shop. His mother then called police and a search started. | |
The force said neighbours also helped with the hunt and less than two hours later police broke into the flat and found the boy. | |
His hands had been bound but he had managed to escape from a cupboard and moved towards a window in the flat, where he was spotted by a woman looking for him. | |
Jackson repeatedly threatened to kill the boy, who was abducted in an alleyway, and held him prisoner in the cupboard during a three-hour ordeal. | |
He gagged and bound the victim with tape and a rope, placed a craft knife near him and warned him his father would be murdered, the court heard. | |
Debi Gould, prosecuting, said the boy had been found after Jackson had left the flat in an attempt to construct an alibi. | |
Miss Gould told the court: "The defendant said [to the boy], 'Don't bother screaming or you are dead - it's time to die if you make a noise'." | Miss Gould told the court: "The defendant said [to the boy], 'Don't bother screaming or you are dead - it's time to die if you make a noise'." |
She said Jackson had put a pillowcase over the boy's head and had also told him he would never see his mother again. | |
The two children were now struggling to sleep and socialise, the court heard. | The two children were now struggling to sleep and socialise, the court heard. |
Det Ch Insp Booth said the case had been "totally shocking" and "horrific" and described Jackson as a "serial predator who preys on young children". | |
Jackson, who was originally called Albert English, was convicted of two indecent assaults in the early 1980s and jailed for 30 months. | Jackson, who was originally called Albert English, was convicted of two indecent assaults in the early 1980s and jailed for 30 months. |
Defence lawyer John Attwood said Jackson, who was unemployed and claiming disability benefits, had been receiving treatment under the Mental Health Act. | |
Judge Walsh stressed it was likely to be "very many years, if ever" before Jackson was judged safe to be freed from prison. | |