A child under the age of 10 was allegedly kidnapped at knifepoint in Anglesey, North Wales, and driven 200 miles before being rescued by armed police on the M1 motorway in Buckinghamshire.
The child was taken from Gaerwen, Anglesey, on the afternoon of 4 November and bundled into a silver Citroën Picasso. Police caught up with the vehicle near Newport Pagnell Junction 15 on the M1, where dashcam footage shows officers boxing in the car, which was allegedly displaying false number plates.
Four men were arrested at the scene, and two further suspects were detained in Wales. Six people have been charged with kidnap, and one suspect also faces a charge of possession of a bladed article. The child was returned safe and unharmed within hours, with detectives describing the incident as isolated and not a stranger attack.
The six charged are: Wilfred Wong, 55, of Camden, London; Jane Claire Going-Hill, 59, of Holyhead; Robert Frith, 65, of Holyhead; Anke Hill, 50, of Holyhead; Edward Stevenson, 68, of Crawley, West Sussex; and Janet Stevenson, 66, a charity counsellor from Crawley. All appeared at Llandudno Magistrates’ Court on Monday and were remanded to Caernarfon Crown Court for plea and trial preparation hearings on 7 December.
Detective Chief Superintendent Gareth Evans praised Northamptonshire Police for their swift assistance, saying: “Our focus throughout has been to recover the child safe and well. I am happy to report that this was achieved.” Detective Inspector Chris Bell added that the child was recovered thanks to “excellent early investigative work”.
