A dad told his 11-year-old daughter to “run for her life” when he called her mobile phone as an adult male was abducting her, near Castle Park in Colchester, UK on October 12 last year.
The child was walking home from school with a friend when Mawande Sicwebu, 27, started dragging and punching her towards a house. The girl’s father telephoned her by chance and heard her screaming: “A man is trying to kidnap me.”
The worried dad, who could hear Sicwebu ordering her to end the call, shouted: “Just run for your life” before losing contact.
He spoke to his daughter a short time later only to be told: “I can’t run any more; my tummy is hurting”.
Sicwebu admitted abducting and assaulting the girl and was jailed for two years and eight months.
Judge Martyn Levett said the even defendant described the incident as “terrifying”.
He added: “I hope these remarks send a message to you, and others who consider committing similar crimes.
“No adult person can place themselves in the position of an 11-year-old child who has been taken, or even understand the shock of stranger taking them to an unknown place.
“You have a child of your own and should be ashamed.

The case was heard at Ipswich Crown Court 

“What is unforgivable is you hit her while sending her friend away. All she did was leave school and try to return home.”
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was approached by Sicwebu at around 4.30pm on October 12 last year.
The drunk told her: “Come with me or I’ll kill you” and ordered a boy who was with her to walk to a nearby park.
The girl claims her attacker grabbed her by the wrist, slapped her face and punched her in the chest and stomach, leaving her badly winded.
She had to endure a 40 minute ordeal at the hands of mental health carer Sicwebu.
Prosecutor Cathy McCulloch said the girl had been saved by the “lucky” call from her father.
She added: “But for the telephone call from her father we don’t know what would have happened to her.”
A family friend later found the girl in a distressed state and took her to her mother’s house.
Members of the public flagged down a passing police car and Sicwebu was arrested the following day.
The prosecution told the court the attack appeared to be a completely random abduction attempt with no obvious pre-planning. Sicwebu’s defense attorney, Catherine Bradshaw, said her client who has three young children himself, had been drinking heavily on the day in question.
She added: “He is distressed about the crime he has committed and the effect it has had on the victim.
“His two main regrets are for the victim, and the additional stress he has put on his young family.”
Sicwebu was arrested and told officers he had begun to feel sick and was seeking assistance.
He had been drinking from 10am to 4pm on the day of the incident, on October 12 last year.
Sicwebu, of Holmes Road, Halstead, admitted child abduction and assault. The court was told Sicwebu’s heavy drinking, and high stress levels, due to a recent promotion at work, were the only possible reasons for his behaviour Catherine McCulhah, mitigating, said: “He is distressed about the crime he has committed and the effect it has had on the victim.
“His two main regrets are for the victim, and the additional stress he has put on his young family.”
Eight character references were submitted to the judge, while mitigation explained how Sicwebu arrived in the UK as a four-year-old, worked to get an education, earned an Open University degree as a young father and gained employment as a mental health carer.
However, Recorder Andrew Shaw said the potential effect on the victim was the overriding factor as he jailed him for a total of 32 months.
He said: “I hope these remarks send a message to you, and others who consider committing similar crimes.
“No adult person can place themselves in the position of an 11-year-old child who has been taken, or even understand the shock of stranger taking them to an unknown place.
“You had been drinking for a considerable period on the day in question and have admitted you are ashamed of your actions.
“You have a child of your own and should be ashamed.“What is unforgivable is you hit her while sending her friend away. “All she did was leave school and try to return home.”