A young pub landlady has spoken of her absolute terror after a woman allegedly tried to snatch her newborn baby son right from her arms in a brazen daytime attack.
Billie-jo Biddle, 23, was working behind the bar at The Brickmaker's Arms in Brierley Hill with her seven-week-old son, Ezra, nearby when the horrifying incident unfolded. She described a female customer, who had been acting strangely, making a sudden and sickening grab for her child.
"She just lunged for him," Billie-jo recounted, her voice still shaking from the ordeal. "I was holding him and she just tried to rip him out of my arms. I was screaming, I was so scared. I've never known fear like it."
In a state of pure panic, the quick-thinking new mother managed to clutch her son tightly and fled to a back room, where she frantically barricaded the door and dialled 999 for help.
A Mother's Worst Nightmare
The suspect, described as being in her 40s, had been in the pub for several hours prior to the alleged attack. Billie-jo and her staff had grown increasingly uneasy with the woman's erratic behaviour, which included bizarre questions about the baby.
"She kept asking if he was a doll, if he was real," Billie-jo said. "She was just really odd and fixated on him. The atmosphere felt wrong, but I never imagined it would escalate to this."
After the failed attempt, the woman allegedly became aggressive and verbally abusive before finally leaving the premises. The entire traumatic event has left the family deeply shaken.
Police Investigation Launched
West Midlands Police have confirmed they are investigating the reported attempted child abduction. A spokesperson stated: "We were called to The Brickmaker's Arms on Brettell Lane at around 4.15pm on Saturday following a report of an attempted child abduction. Enquiries are ongoing."
Billie-jo, who is now terrified to be alone with her son, has praised the police response but is struggling to come to terms with what happened in her own place of work.
"This is my home, this is my pub, and I didn't feel safe in it," she said. "You hear about these things on the news but you never think it will happen to you. I'm just so thankful I was holding him tightly."
