A woman has been jailed after she tried to snatch a baby from his pram on a bus.
Joan Smith previously admitted attempting to take the eight-month-old from his mother on an bus making its way through Aberdeen.
Yesterday, the 44-year-old returned to the city’s sheriff court to hear her fate.
The court previously heard Smith had started to push the pram away as the bus pulled up at a stop in Holburn Road on November 11.
But when she was confronted by his worried mum she resorted to grabbing at the infant – who was fortunately strapped into his buggy.
Smith, whose address was listed in court papers as HMP Grampian, admitted the offence of attempted “plagium”.
Fiscal depute Anne MacDonald said the mother and son had boarded the bus around 9am for a trip they regularly made together.
The court heard that as the bus approached their stop in Holburn Road the child’s mother removed the brake on the buggy, and Smith stood up and walked towards them.
Smith then started to edge herself into the pram, moving it forward slightly and away from the baby’s mother.
She then left the bus, but boarded again moments later.
Ms MacDonald said the infant’s mother was terrified when she noticed Smith trying to lift him out of his buggy.
Yesterday, defence solicitor Stuart Murray said she was a “good, kind hearted person” who had never been in trouble until her life started to spiral downhill in 2002, when she began abusing drugs.
The court heard she had a five-year-old child who she was estranged from, and that she suffers severe depression.
But Sheriff Graham Buchanan said he had to be careful of handing down an “unduly lenient” sentence and had to consider the victims in his sentencing.
He said a social work report had showed Smith had not accepted responsibility for her actions and was a danger to the public.
He gave her an 18 month sentence, and will be under a supervision order for nine months after her release.