A MAN accused of kidnapping a two-year-old girl after assaulting her grandfather during an incident on a residential Carlisle street at the weekend has appeared in court.

Andrzej Jasinski, 38, faces two charges.

One alleges that Jasinski kidnapped the young girl, who is alleged to have been taken, unlawfully and by force or fraud, against her will.

A second charge alleges that Jasinski assaulted the girl’s grandfather, causing actual bodily harm.

Both charges arise out of an alleged incident at around 9am on Saturday at terraced Thomson Street, close to London Road in Carlisle.

As Jasinski appeared at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court today (mon), prosecutor Peter Kelly gave magistrates some details of the alleged circumstances. Members of the public had intervened during the incident, said Mr Kelly, before the child was returned to the grandfather who had been left “in a state of shock”.

During the court hearing, dark-haired Jasinski spoke to confirm his name and date of birth, while wearing a grey sweatshirt in the court dock, accompanied by two security staff members. He was also assisted by a Polish interpreter during the proceedings.

As the two charges were put to Jasinski, defence solicitor Jeff Smith told magistrates there would be no formal indication of pleas at this stage. Mr Smith did say: “Mr Jasinski denies any involvement in this offence.”

After hearing submissions from both the prosecution and defence, magistrates sent the case to Carlisle Crown Court, where Jasinski is due to appear in front of a judge on Monday, 2nd October.

In the meantime he was remanded in custody after an application for bail was refused by the Bench.

*There is said by the prosecution to be no family connection between Jasinski, also of Thomson Street, and either the adult or child named in the charges that he faces.