A MAN who took the law into his own hands when he snatched a young boy from the street has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Lascell Allison was with the lad's mother when they swooped on him as he played with his siblings in a Chippenham street.

The 55-year-old bundled the boy, who social services said should be with his dad, into the car and they drove away leaving his siblings 'terrified'.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting said the lad had been living with his mum in Bristol but for some reason went to live with his dad in Chippenham.

Although there was no court order in place he said it was agreed they should share custody and the court heard social service were also involved.

On Friday July 17 last year he said the boy was playing in the street near his dad's home when the car pulled up and Allison bundled him in to it.

"A member of the public saw the boy being carried away and she said that it was an alarming sigh," Mr Meeke said.

"She said the boy seemed to be scared and did not want to go with them. She said he was crying and screaming."

Mr Meeke said she wrote down the number plate and it was soon realised the car belonged to the lad's mum.

Allison, of Littlejohn Avenue, Melksham, pleaded guilty to one count of child abduction.

Tony Bignall, defending, told the court that his client was not a stranger and the victim knew who he was.

Although he now realises what he did was wrong he said he felt he was just carrying out the wishes of the boy's mother.

He said Allison had worked in the past, including as a psychiatric nurse, but had to stop after he was stabbed.

Passing sentence Judge Tim Mousley QC said "Abducting a child is a very serious offence which carried a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment

"You abducted him when he was playing in the street in Chippenham, you bundled him into a car with his mother and not surprisingly anyone who witnessed what you were doing in the street was terrified.

"At that time the social services were involved and it was agreed he should be staying with his father. A court order would have come after.

"Whatever the state of affairs between his parents were at the time there was no excuse for what you did, ait was an extreme example of taking the law in to your own hands.

"Mercifully the lad was returned to his father very quickly. I accept what he says when he says he is scared it may happen again."

As well as jailing him for 30 months he also told him that he would be barred from working with children for vulnerable people for the rest of his life.