Tried to abduct a 14-year-old boy.

A man who "clearly poses a danger to children" has been jailed after attempting to abduct a 14-year-old boy in Stockport.

Sheraz Bhatti, 43, was sitting in his orange and black Mini car on Jacksons Lane in the Hazel Grove area on March 20, 2022, when he spotted the boy walking home. He shouted to the boy to get his attention, a court heard.

Bhatti then asked the boy if he wanted to get in the car, offering to take him home and telling him he had drinks to give him. Thankfully, the boy continued walking and informed his parents of the incident upon arriving home.

The parents immediately contacted the police. Officers later discovered that Bhatti had searched online for a school on the street where he had parked and spoken to the boy. They tracked down the distinctive Mini to his home in Wythenshawe and found it parked outside the following day.

Police seized two phones from Bhatti's residence and found almost 300 indecent images of children, including category A - the most severe - as well as category B and C images, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Bhatti was also found to have four bank accounts which he had not disclosed to the police, a breach of the indefinite notification requirements he was subject to following a 2008 conviction for sexual offenses.

Initially denying the attempted abduction, Bhatti later admitted to being present at the scene. In December 2022, he pleaded guilty to attempting to abduct a child, three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, two counts of possessing indecent photographs of a child, one count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child, and failing to comply with notification requirements.

On August 16, 2023, at Minshull Street Crown Court, Bhatti was sentenced to four years and three months in prison.

Richard Holliday, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, stated: "This incident embodies every parent's worst fear. Sheraz Bhatti clearly poses a danger to children. We would like to thank the boy for his quick thinking in reporting the incident, which helped bring Bhatti to justice and protect other children from potential abuse. The Crown Prosecution Service takes this kind of offense extremely seriously and will work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice."