Toddler kidnappers had searched the net for child porn

A 2-year-old girl was lured from her mother in a Primark shop in Newcastle. Photo / iStock

Two teenagers who kidnapped a toddler from a Primark store have been sent to a youth custody unit for three years and three months.

The girls, aged 13 and 14, took the toddler from Primark on Newcastle's main shopping street on April 13.

They took her on the Metro to the nearby suburb of Gosforth but were soon found, and the child was returned to her mother.

Mr Justice Globe told the Newcastle Crown Court that the 2-year-old girl was at risk of physical or sexual violence and exploitation.

He was referring to internet searches made on a tablet belonging to the younger defendant.

He said: "The internet history shows hundreds of searches in relation to pornographic topics, which include children having sex, rape, slavery and abduction."

The judge initially sentenced the girls to three years and four months but took a month off having heard they have been subject to a curfew since they pleaded guilty to kidnap.