BRAIN WILLIS MIDDLESBROUGH PAEDOPHILE TRIES TO SNATCH THREE-YEAR-OLD GIRL AT CAPTAIN COOK SHOPPING SQUARE
In a disturbing incident that has sent shockwaves through the Middlesbrough community, Brian Willis, a 78-year-old man with a troubling criminal history, attempted to abduct a three-year-old girl at the Captain Cook Shopping Square.The incident occurred on October 19 of the previous year, while the child's father was momentarily distracted, engaging in a conversation with a friend inside a Greggs bakery located within the shopping centre.
According to court proceedings, Willis seized the opportunity when the child's father had his back turned.
He approached the young girl’s pushchair, which was being held by her parent, and forcibly grabbed it.
The court heard that Willis then began to push the pushchair away, attempting to snatch the child.
Fortunately, the child's father quickly noticed Willis's actions and intervened, remonstrating with him.
Willis reportedly responded by claiming, “I just want to take the baby for a walk,” attempting to justify his actions.
Despite Willis’s protestations, the father managed to force his hands off the pushchair, preventing the abduction.
Willis then walked away from the scene, heading towards other shops within the shopping centre.
The incident was so alarming that Willis himself later contacted emergency services, calling 999 and admitting, “I did something wrong, I tried to abduct someone and tried to push her away.
I don’t feel guilty.” When police officers arrived and spoke with Willis, he reportedly expressed remorse or confusion, asking, “Why do I do the things I do?” and reaffirmed that he had attempted to abduct a child.
Willis subsequently admitted to the charges of child abduction and breaching a sex offender order before the trial, which was scheduled for September, could take place.
It was revealed during the court proceedings that Willis has a long history of sexual offences.
He was placed under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order in 2009 after being convicted of possessing indecent images of children.
Further concerns about his behaviour were raised in 2011 when his offender management team noted that Willis had provided police with a “very vivid description” of the abduction of girls, which was sexual in nature.
The mother of the young girl described her reaction to the incident as one of utter dread.
She said her “heart sank” upon learning what had happened and that she felt “sick to the stomach.” She expressed her fears, stating that the event was “every parent’s worst nightmare,” and revealed that she now suffers from frequent nightmares.
She also admitted to feeling a deep mistrust of people and expressed her concern about what could have happened if Willis had succeeded in taking her child away.
In sentencing, Recorder Little QC, presiding over the case, highlighted Willis’s extensive criminal record, which includes a conviction for gross indecency with a man in a public toilet dating back to 1985.
The court also noted Willis’s 2011 admission to police that he had been in the company of a man with “fantasies about abducting young girls,” and that he was worried about children during school holidays.
The judge made it clear that Willis was considered a dangerous individual, stating, “No doubt you would have sexually assaulted that child,” and described him as a “dangerous man.” Willis responded dismissively with “rubbish.” Already on the sex offender register for an indefinite period, Willis was sentenced to 46 months in prison for his latest offences.
The court’s decision underscores the severity of his actions and the ongoing risk he poses to the community of Middlesbrough.
