Two girls aged 17 and 18 jailed for trying to kidnap babies by luring mothers with fake Facebook page offering free children's clothes

Sophisticated scam: Codie Farrar, 17, pictured arriving at Derby Youth Court this morning

Two teenagers who plotted to kidnap babies by offering free designer children's clothes through a fake Facebook page have been sentenced to 12 months behind bars.

Holly Kelland, 18, set up a profile under a different name with the aim of contacting mothers with young children. 

Together with school friend Codie Farrar, 17, Kelland tried to lure in targets by telling them they had won prizes, including designer baby clothes, in fictitious raffles.

The pair managed to convince one mother to hand over her home address and Farrar later visited, pretending to be a social worker who needed to take the baby away for a 'medical assessment'. 

However the woman became suspicious when Farrar held the baby's head incorrectly and notified social services. 

Police later arrested the teenager, who said Kelland had recruited her to try and kidnap the baby. 

Both girls were handed 12-month detention orders after previously admitting to conspiracy to kidnap three babies, identified only as 'U', 'S' and 'W', in September last year.

Kelland, of Wolverhampton, also admitted to three further counts of fraud by false representation. 

Sentencing the girls at Derby Youth Court, District Judge Jonathan Taaffe said: 'By its very nature this is a case of extreme seriousness.

'A plan was hatched to kidnap a baby and not followed through, and fortunately it was only the alertness of the mother that prevented the actual kidnap taking place.

'It was not a momentary decision but a prolonged period of action which involved setting up of a fake Facebook account to obtain details of new-born babies and families' details.

'It involved travelling to areas far away from home, and masquerading as a social worker.

'The baby was held by Codie, who was pretending to be a health care professional, and the distress caused to the babies and their mothers should not be underestimated.'

The court heard that three new mothers were regularly asked for their addresses in conversations with Kelland and Farrar who operated under the fake Facebook profile.

Sentenced: School friends Holly Kelland, left, and Codie Farrar, right, plotted to kidnap babies

Kelland, pictured, was sentenced to 12 months behind bars after admitting conspiracy to kidnap three babies 

Farrar, pictured, also admitted the same charge and was also give a one-year detention order

At the same time Kelland was faking a pregnancy, even convincing her own mother. She had printed off a fake sonogram from a website and had a 'fully-equipped' nursery at home.

Elaine Stapleton, representing Kelland, said her client had been suffering from undiagnosed mental health issues at the time of the offences.

The girls first plotted to kidnap Baby W from a home in Huddersfield, Yorkshire. Kelland contacted the mother on September 14 and asked whether she would like some designer baby socks. 

She was told to provide her address to receive the order but the woman declined, saying she thought it was 'strange'. 

Kelland then contacted the mother of Baby U, who handed over her home address after being told she had won either £100 of baby clothes, or a Segway. 

The following day, Farrar, of Evesham, in Worcestershire, travelled with Kelland to the town when the woman lived.

Prosecutor Alma's Ben-Aribia said: 'On September 21 the mother called the police to report she had a two-week-old baby and a young woman had come in to her house pretending to be a social worker.

Ringleader: Holly Kelland, left, convinced Codie Farrar, right, to take part in her plans, the court heard

The court heard Kelland, pictured, was faking a pregnancy and was contacting expectant mothers telling them they had won prizes

'Codie said: "I'm a social worker and you signed something for your baby to have a medical assessment".

'Codie went on to ask how old the baby was, he was two-weeks-old, and she replied "he is beautiful".

'Codie then asked to hold the baby and she took hold of the baby but the mum's alarms were raised because the woman claiming to be a social worker did not hold the baby's head correctly.'

Farrar then told the mother she needed to take the baby away for a 30-minute medical assessment. When the mother refused, Farrar became increasingly nervous and left.   

The court heard the mother of Baby S was also messaged by the fake Facebook account.

The woman was even shown a video that appeared to show her name being pulled out of a bowl, as if she had won a competition. She was asked to hand out her address but she refused.  

The court heard Kelland also sent Farrar a message saying: 'Don't feel like baby chasing today'.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the mother of Baby U said: 'After it happened I kept breaking down at the thought of what would've happened if my baby had been taken.

'I cried all the time, it ruined the process of having a young baby. Even now I don't trust people and I don't like being home alone.

'I also feel paranoid when going out and feel distrustful of strangers around my baby.

'Whenever I hear anybody with the same accent as the suspect who visited my house it brings it all back to me. I went to the doctor who has given me a prescription for anxiety and depression.'

In her victim impact statement, the mother of Baby S said: 'This incident resulted in me being very frightened, it's shaken me up really bad.

'I've been too frightened to go home, I've had to stay at my mother's house for seven days. I was scared someone would follow me from my mother's to my house.'

Elaine Stapleton, defending Kelland, said: 'It is a very difficult case and a very alarming case. It's a kidnap by fraud not a kidnap by violence or threat of violence.

'At first glance it's a very disturbing case but there are reasons behind it. The first real concern was that she went on to the website Fake A Baby.com and produced a scan that was clearly fake in July.

'That was to support a lie that she was pregnant. When the police came to her home there was a nursery there fully equipped with a changing table and cot.

'There were a series of lies that she now takes responsibility for.'

Louise Sweet QC, defending Farrar, added: 'She candidly told the police the truth about her involvement. She, although 17, is described as immature for her age.' 

Farrar, pictured, tried to take a baby away from one mother after telling her she was doing a 'medical check-up'

The judge said he had 'reservations' about Kelland's motive being down to a mental health issue, saying they usually led to 'impulsive' actions rather than the 'planned' and 'sophisticated' actions demonstrated in this case.

Judge Taaffe added: 'It is an accepted fact that Holly recruited Codie, but on the other hand Codie, as a murder mystery actress, impersonated a social worker in going to the mother's house and that's a particularly aggravating feature in this case.'

He concluded: 'I'd be failing in my public duty if a custodial sentence was not imposed.

'This is a very serious set of circumstances that involved planning and sophistication, to take new-born babies from home addresses, that can only in my view be dealt with by the imposition of immediate custodial sentences.'

Both girls were each handed 12-month detention and training orders, but will serve half of that sentence on probation under youth offending team supervision. 

Kelland also admitted three charges of fraud by false representation. For those three further offences she was handed another 12-month detention order to be served concurrently with her term for the conspiracy to kidnap.