A Sudanese national has pleaded guilty to attempting to kidnap a 17-year-old girl as she walked home from work. Abdulmawal Ibrahim Adam’s attempt to snatch the teenage girl was stopped after members of the public stepped in.
The 27-year-old of Stanier Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, admitted the offence in a hearing at Swindon Crown Court on Tuesday and has been remanded into custody ahead of sentencing on December 12. Adam approached the girl in Princes Street in Swindon town centre at about 9.30pm on March 6 and started talking to her against her will. He then followed her, and she tried to flag down passing vehicles, but none stopped.
As the teenager crossed the road, Adam ran towards her, grabbed her and dragged her back across the road.
Passengers on a bus then intervened after stopping at traffic lights and Adam ran off down Princes Street where he tried engaging with another woman and attempted to follow her before she got away from him, Wiltshire police said.
Adam then followed a female witness to the attempted kidnap, before members of the public again intervened, the force added.
The victim’s mother reported the incident to police later that evening and Adam was arrested and charged with attempted kidnap.
Adam, from Darfur in Sudan, arrived in the UK illegally in September 2023, according to The Sun.
The newspaper reports that in November of that year, he pleaded guilty at Canterbury Crown Court to arriving in the country “without valid entry clearance” and was sentenced to seven months.
After completing his sentence, he was released from prison, according to The Sun which added it is not known if any conditions were attached to his release, or if he is attempting to seek asylum.
The Home Office was contacted for a clarification.
A department spokesperson said “we will always do everything in our power” to deport foreign nationals who “commit serious crimes in our country”.
After Adam pleaded guilty to the attempted kidnap, Detective Constable Anna McCormack, the investigating officer from Wiltshire Police, said: “This was a terrifying incident for the victim and I appreciate the significant impact this will have on the victim moving forward.
“I would like to pay tribute to her for the strength she has shown throughout the process.”
She also thanked members of the public who intervened during the incident.
Dale Sheehan, Senior Crown Prosecutor, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Abdulmawal Ibrahim Adam preyed on a teenager while she was walking home, putting her through a distressing ordeal after he grabbed her from behind.
“Members of the public stopped to assist the victim, pursued Adam and recorded footage of him.
“Their actions, alongside supporting evidence, were instrumental in securing the conviction.”