A teenager snatched a baby from a woman, knocking her over and injuring her as he did so, a court heard.

Police recovered the child soon afterwards from a house in Chatham but Mark Dallas disappeared for three months. He was then found at a caravan in Sheppey.

He had previously failed to answer bail to be sentenced for assault causing actual bodily harm. A stunned judge was told he had been taken away to celebrate his birthday.

Dallas, now 20, was sentenced to three years and eight months youth custody - two years and three months for kidnapping, 14 months for the assault and one month for jumping bail a second time, all consecutive.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Dallas grabbed the baby in Chatham on March 7 after running up and shouting at the woman.

There was a struggle and the woman fell against a parked car. Dallas elbowed her in the face before running off with the child.

The woman suffered bruises and collapsed in distress.

Prosecutor Jonathan Atkinson said Dallas passed the baby over a fence to his friend Jason Malloy, 21, who took the child into the house.

They became aware of a heavy police presence in the area and Dallas fled. The child was taken to hospital to be examined but was unharmed.

Malloy, of Albany Road, Chatham, was jailed for a year on November 14 after admitting child abduction.

The assault happened when Dallas and Tony Jones went to Ricky Winter’s home in Napier Road, Gillingham, on August 17, 2012, and accused him of being a sex offender.

They forced their way in and attacked him.

Dallas had a piece of wood and Jones picked up a table leg and used it.

The victim escaped serious injury, despite claiming he was hit 80 times. Jones was jailed for two years.

Judge Charles Macdonald QC told Dallas, who admitted both offences, there had been risk to the child during the tussle.

He described the attack on Mr Winter as “a piece of vigilantism”. The suggestion of the victim being a sex offender had no basis, he added.

Sophie Knowldin, 19, of Leysdown Road, Leysdown, has denied kidnap.

Dallas’ mother Carol Treeby, 40, of Whyman Road, Chatham, and John Read, 71, of Wayfield Road, Chatham, have denied assisting an offender.

All three will stand trial in April next year.

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