William Harrison, aged 63, from Bradford, has been jailed for four years following a disturbing attempt to lure two eight-year-old girls into his car outside an Asda supermarket in Shipley. The incident took place in September 2022 and has left the local community deeply shaken.
Harrison pleaded guilty to two serious charges. The first charge was taking a child to remove them from lawful custody. He approached the two young girls inside the Asda supermarket, offering them sweets to entice them. CCTV footage showed Harrison at the checkout before he followed the girls back to his car.
The second charge was causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity. Alarmingly, Harrison showed the girls an explicit image on his phone and attempted to bribe them with money to get into his vehicle.
Thanks to the quick thinking of the girls and the prompt intervention of the police, the situation was prevented from escalating further. The bravery of the children in reporting the incident was crucial in bringing Harrison to justice without causing them additional trauma.
Acting Detective Inspector Tom Swift of Bradford District’s Safeguarding Team commented on the case, saying, “This was truly every parent’s worst nightmare. Harrison is a danger to children.” He praised the victims for their courage and noted that Harrison’s guilty plea spared them from reliving the ordeal.
Harrison was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to four years in prison. This sentence serves as a stern warning to predators lurking in communities across the region.
Originally published by UKNIP.
