TWO men who abducted a five-year- old girl, who went missing on the street where she was playing, have each been jailed for two years.

A court heard that the child had earlier been 'grounded' by her father who had discovered she had been to one of the men's homes on a previous occasion.

On the later date the father, having been alerted to her being at Alan Hinton's address, went to the house on Holden Road, Darwen and found her.

Hinton, 52, who has been living at a Leeds probation hostel since being named as a convicted sex offender by a national newspaper, and his co-defendant Rudolph Baker, 56, of St Leger Court, Accrington, had both pleaded guilty to a charge of child abduction.

When they appeared at Preston Crown Court for sentence the judge was told that each had a previous conviction for indecent assault, though some years ago.

Mr Dennis Watson, prosecuting, said the abduction offence took place one afternoon in September last year. The girl had gone out to play on the street with her siblings.

About an hour later her father noticed she was missing and became extremely worried.

In the meantime, a neighbour of Hinton had seen the girl being shepherded into the home by the two defendants. Soon afterwards the girl's father was contacted and went round there.

Mr Watson said: "Neither of the defendants had sought or obtained permission of either parent to take her to the address."

When later interviewed by police the girl spoke of having been dragged and pushed to the home.

However, the neighbour had not seen anything to suggest she went there by force.

Baker claimed the girl had followed behind while he was visiting Hinton's address.

His conviction for indecent assault dates back to 1977 when he was given two years probation. Hinton's case was in 1990, for which he received a conditional discharge.

Mr Wayne Jackson, for Hinton, said that a psychiatric report had found he was unlikely to harm other members of the public and an unlikely risk of committing sexual offences.

Mr Martin Hackett, for Baker, said he too had behaved inappropriately. He categorically denied there was any sinister motive.

Passing sentence, Judge Peter Openshaw QC, said in his judgment the parents were entirely right to have been alarmed over what happened on the previous occasion when the girl had been to Baker's home.

"Those who abduct children, taking them out of the custody of their parents, cause understandable anxiety for the parents and alarm in the neighbourhood. and exposing the child to all manner of risks.

"Those who commit such offences should receive custodial sentences, indeed any other sentence, in my judgment, would cause public outrage."