A young mum who helped a man on the run from police after he snatched a baby in Chatham has been ordered to carry out 100 hours’ of unpaid work.

Sophie Knowldin, 19, gave money to Mark Dallas while he remained at large for six weeks last year.

Knowldin, of Leysdown Road, Sheerness, was with Dallas when he was finally found by police at a caravan park in Sheppey.

She appeared at Maidstone Crown Court today for sentence, when Judge Julian Smith told her: “It was an extraordinarily poor series of decisions you made."

Judge Smith ordered Knowldin to carry out the unpaid work within 12 months. He also imposed a six-month supervision order and told her to pay a £60 victim

surcharge.

Knowldin was originally charged with kidnap and assisting an offender and was due to stand trial on June 8 at Maidstone Crown Court.

However, she pleaded guilty to the less serious offence of assisting Dallas before a jury was sworn in and the kidnap charge was left on file.

Also in the dock with Knowldin were Dallas's mum Carol Treeby and grandfather John Read.

Ms Treeby, 40, of Whyman Road, Chatham, and Mr Read, 71, of Wayfield Road, Chatham, denied assisting an offender and were formally acquitted after Knowldin had admitted her guilt.

Prosecutor Gabby Henty said it was not in the public interest to proceed against Ms Treeby and Mr Read, or Knowldin for kidnap.

“It was an extraordinarily poor series of decisions you made" - Judge Julian Smith

The court heard Dallas, 20, of no fixed address but from Chatham, was locked up for 27 months in November last year after admitting kidnap.

He grabbed the child from a woman, knocking her over and causing injury, in March that same year.

The baby was then passed over a fence to his friend Jason Malloy, 21, who took the child into a house.

However, Dallas fled when he realised there was a heavy police presence in the area.

The child was later found unharmed.

Knowldin admitted helping Dallas by twice withdrawing cash for him from his bank

account between March 7 and April 29, 2014.

Jacqueline Carey, defending, told the court Knowldin, who has a daughter, pleaded guilty on the basis she assisted him to stay on the run, not to kidnap the child.

Malloy, of Albany Road, Chatham, later admitted child abduction and was jailed for a year.