A DAZED grandfather saw a stranger who came uninvited into his home and assaulted him running away with his two-year-old granddaughter under his arm.

The man who took the child has now been warned he is facing a jail term after he pleaded guilty to kidnapping the toddler during the bizarre incident in Carlisle on the morning of September 9.

Andrzej Jasinski, 38, also admitted an actual bodily harm assault on the 63-year-old grandfather during the incident.

An earlier hearing was told that the assault victim was left in a “state of shock” by the events of that day. It happened at around 9am at terraced on a street close to London Road in Carlisle.

The grandfather had been babysitting the toddler, who was sitting on his knee, watching TV, when the defendant appeared at the front window, peering through and smiling.

Initially, the grandfather thought nothing of it, assuming the defendant was being friendly because he had seen the child.

But Jasinski then walked into the property, uninvited, and asked the man for his mobile phone. When the grandfather refused to hand over his mobile and tried to usher the defendant out of the house, a scuffle developed.

The struggle spilled out on to the street, where Jaskinki punched the grandfather to the side of the head.

This caused him to fall, hitting his head against a parked van.

As he lay there, dazed and feeling unwell, the man saw Jasinski pick up the child and run across the road, with his granddaughter under his arm.

Witnesses heard the child laughing, suggesting she though what was happening was a game.

The grandfather shouted for help, telling a van driver who had stopped on the street that the stranger had taken his granddaughter. That man and neighbours intervened and a short time later, the van driver returned the child back to her grandfather.

At Carlisle Crown Court, the defendant appeared before Judge Michael Fanning via a video link. The defendant entered guilty pleas to both allegations, accepting that he took the actions which were described by the girl’s grandfather.

At one stage during the hearing, he claimed he was “forced” to admit the assault charge. But following an intervention by his defence lawyer Jeff Smith, he said he stood by his guilty plea, accepting he committed both offences.

Mr Smith said that he had explained the nature of the allegations to the defendant, and Jasinski accepted the advice he was given to plead guilty,

“Yes, I plead guilty,” said Jasinski.

The court heard that the defendant has a previous conviction for arson while being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

In view of this, and the contents of a background psychiatric report, Judge Fanning asked for a background Probation Service report on the defendant to assess whether he is a dangerous offender.

He also asked for the grandfather to be invited to make a victim personal statement. Remanding the defendant in custody, the judge told Jasinski: “You have pleaded guilty to these two offences, and you will be given credit for that.

“These are really serious matters, the kidnap in particular.

“There is a psychiatric report and a previous offence for arson, both of which suggest that you may be a dangerous offender. This is not a straightforward sentencing matter and I do require a report from the Probation Service but that will go to the length of sentence.”

The defendant's address has formerly been given as Thomson Street, Carlisle.

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