Oldbury child kidnaps and sex abuse: Michael Jackson jailed

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. 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. "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'." 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.

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.

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.

Source:BBC News