Telford woman jailed for baby kidnap tried to fake pregnancy
A woman who kidnapped a baby as part of a "naive" attempt to fake a pregnancy has been jailed for two years.
Kelly Mahon, 41, of Arleston in Telford, admitted taking the child from its family home in February.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard she told her boyfriend she was pregnant to secure the relationship, despite having been sterilised 20 years earlier.
Mahon had called at the family's home and told the mother her husband had been involved in a car accident.
She offered to babysit while the mother went to check on her husband, but then disappeared with the infant.
The child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found hours later, fast asleep and uninjured, at Mahon's home.
Peter Cooper, defending Mahon, said it was "a sad case".
Sentencing, Judge Jim Tindal said: "What was only a pipe dream suddenly grew into something real. I cannot begin to imagine the terror you caused the child's parents."
In a statement released after the sentencing, the baby's parents said they "cannot express our delight and utter relief" when their child was returned.
"What happened is every parent's worst nightmare and the reality is worse than you can ever imagine," they said.
"We are glad everything is over and resolved. We want to get back to normal and be together as a family."