Nicolette Goldrick, 51, has been jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty to trying to snatch a baby from its pram in Blackpool last May. The terrifying moment was caught on CCTV outside a Central Drive shop near Coral Island, while the infant’s mum was distracted signing for a delivery.

Goldrick was seen slipping up to the pushchair, grabbing it, and wheeling the baby away. Luckily, a quick-thinking shop worker alerted the mum, who chased Goldrick down shouting, “What are you doing?” Goldrick ignored her and casually walked off, but was later identified by the baby’s father and arrested when she returned.

Mental Health Issues and Violent Past Revealed

At Preston Crown Court, it emerged Goldrick suffers from bipolar disorder and had recently been sectioned. She also admitted to assaulting a police officer by spitting at her during the arrest—she smelled of alcohol and slurred her words.

Goldrick’s violent streak didn’t end there. She was also charged with affray and possession of a bladed weapon after waving a knife and shouting “a life for a life” at a customer in a bakery.

Victim’s Horror and Lasting Trauma

The baby’s mum described the ordeal as “the worst day of our life.” She called the attempted abduction “terrifying” and said the family now uses a harness and tracker on the pram. Nightmares and anxiety haunt them daily, making them wary of strangers.

The court heard Goldrick was previously spotted pushing a doll in a pram, treating it like her own child and asking neighbours to babysit.

Judge Delivers Tough Sentence Despite Mental Health Concerns

Judge Daniel Prowse acknowledged Goldrick’s mental health struggles but said they could not “fully excuse her actions.” He stressed that having a child taken by a stranger was “every parent’s nightmare.”

Goldrick was handed a five-year restraining order banning her from the shop where the incident happened.

Tom Snape, Senior Crown Prosecutor, said: “Goldrick’s brazen actions caused unimaginable terror.”