A MAN who kidnapped a 16-year-old girl in Taunton has been jailed for five years and four months.

Lee Shiers, 36, dragged her towards his car as she walked home from an evening with friends in the town on Friday, March 18.

The victim, who was punched repeatedly by Shiers, in South Road, fought him off and ran away before two men who witnessed the incident drove after her and offered her help.

Detectives identified Shiers as the possible offender after the two men provided a description of his distinctive vehicle.

He was arrested two days after the incident but denied being responsible.

However, a thorough investigation which included a review of CCTV from the area, house-to-house enquiries and forensic examinations proved his involvement.

He subsequently admitted attacking the girl to officers before later pleading guilty to kidnap at court.

Detective Sergeant Rachel Walls said: “Incidents such as this in which a stranger targets a lone young girl are almost unheard of in Taunton.

“We worked tirelessly from the moment it was reported to us to identify Shiers as the man responsible and arrest him and to quickly gather the evidence we needed to remand him in custody and prevent him from being able to target anyone else.

“His discarded cigarette irrefutably put him at the scene and together with other evidence, including CCTV of his distinctive car, he was left with no choice but to plead guilty.”

Shiers, who has previous convictions for kidnap and GBH, was sentenced at Taunton Crown Court today (Monday, November 21).

Jailing him, Mr Recorder Richard Stead said while the motivations for the attack remained unknown, he believed Shiers had planned it.

He said Shiers, of Horsey Lane, Bridgwater, had a history of violent offending towards women and “posed a risk of causing harm to the public”.

On his release from prison, he will remain on licence for an extended period of three years.

In the victim’s personal statement was read during the hearing, she said: "Since the incident I no longer walk anywhere by myself.

“I am now afraid to go out in the dark [and] the attack has made me wary around older men.”

She added: “This is something that I would never have thought would happen to me.

“I blame myself for walking home alone, but I am thankful that this happened to me and not one of my friends as they may not have been able to fight back in the way that I did.

“I fought for my life on that night, and I find it hard to describe the terror that I felt during the attack.”

DS Walls said: “I have been absolutely astounded by the bravery and courage of the victim.

“What happened has understandably had a significant impact on her and yet she remarkably describes how she’s thankful it happened to her and not one of her friends.

“She should never feel that way and it saddens me she feels responsible.

“The only person to blame for what happened that night is Shiers.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Rachel Shields, head of CID, said: “Everyone has the right to feel safe wherever they are and attacks like this should never happen.

“Violence against women and girls in any form, is not acceptable and tackling such offending is a priority for us.”

Det Ch Supt Shields praised the two young men who helped the victim.

She said: "They turned their vehicle around after seeing the attack take place and stopped to check the victim was OK before driving her home.

“In addition, they also identified the make and model of the car Shiers drove which was crucial to officers quickly tracking him down.”

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