A HORSE groomer who tried to snatch a nine-year-old girl from a village street as she ran an errand for her mum has been jailed for seven years.

And Alexander Benfield, who a judge said has an attraction to young girls, must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life as part of the sentence.

Three young girls, two aged eight-years-old and one aged nine were walking in the village of Ashton Keynes when one of the girls was grabbed by Benfield on her shoulder and her bottom.

He then tried to pick the young girl up but she screamed and he dropped her. She fell forward grazing her knees before Benfield ran off.

The girls were distressed as a result of the incident and ran home, where their mother called the police.

Through CCTV analysis by police Benfield was identified and arrested.

Benfield, 25, denied charges of attempted kidnap and causing actual bodily harm on Saturday, July 8, but was found guilty by a jury.

Today Benfield was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment and will serve a further three years on licence.

Jailing him Judge Tim Mousley QC told him: "A powerful inference to be drawn is that your motivation was sexual.

“That is the conclusion to which I am drawn. I bear in mind the two recordings on your mobile phone, and that is consistent with a sexual attraction to young girls.”

Benfield will have to serve two thirds of the sentence before he can apply for parole.

The judge, sitting at Swindon Crown Court, also imposed a sexual harm prevention order restricting his liberty on release, and meaning he must register as a sex offender.

He said: “I am satisfied, as were the jury, that you intended to remove her from the footpath and to drive her away from Ashton Keynes.

“Where you would take her to and for how long you would detain her is a matter of speculation.

“However it is obvious that your motivation was your own gratification, whether that was to be satisfied by simply detaining her or whether you would have satisfied yourself by assaulting her either physically or sexually is unknown.

“You have a tendency to be attracted to very young girls and the events of July 8 show this goes way beyond having the propensity. You have now committed a contact offence.”

Gareth James, defending, told the court that his client accepted he was facing a lengthy jail term.

He said: “What we can take from the pre-sentence report is it seems Mr Benfield has been assessed of a low risk of reoffending.

“That is based on his previous record, the fact he has no previous: cautions or anything.”

Earlier the court heard a statement from the head of the local primary school talking about the impact the incident has had on pupils and their parents.

She said children previously allowed to go home alone were being collected and others were wary about walking alone to a church youth club.

Benfield had stopped in sleepy Ashton Keynes on a Saturday in July as he made a lunchtime trip to shops from the stables where he worked teaching youngsters to ride.

In footage from CCTV cameras in the village his car is seen pulling up just yards from the local store when the three little girls come out.

As they made their way home Benfield came up behind the children and grabbed the girl by her shoulder and bottom, lifting her off the ground.

But as she struggled and screamed he dropped her, leaving her with grazed knees, and ran off.

After getting back in his car he drove straight to a clothes shop to buy a new shirt so he could change out of the distinctive T-shirt he was wearing.

When he was arrested the following day he lied about what he had been wearing and where he had been the day before.

However as well as film from the village, police also recovered CCTV footage from the clothes shop and stable yard, showing what he was wearing.

Detectives also found two short movies on his mobile phone where had covertly filmed young girls. In the first clip, lasting four seconds a young blonde girl walks past the front of his car and the second, 18 seconds in length, showed a child swinging in a play park.

Detective Constable Cerys Powell said: “Firstly, I’d like to thank the people of the village of Ashton Keynes who were really crucial in assisting police in this case. CCTV was very important and was provided by the local garage. Their assistance helped us solve this case swiftly.

“This incident was obviously extremely distressing and upsetting for these three young girls who were walking home from the local shop at the time – I have no doubt that Benfield’s action would have been terrifying for them.

“I would like to praise the victim in this case who has shown a huge amount of courage in reliving her ordeal to give evidence in court. Thanks to her bravery Benfield will now serve time in prison."

An NSPCC spokesperson for South West England said: “This is a disturbing case which took place in broad daylight and it’s important that the victim and her friends receive any ongoing support they may need.

“They have shown huge bravery in recounting what must have been a terrifying ordeal.

“Any adult concerned about the welfare of a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline at any time for free on 0808 800 5000. Children can call Childline on 0800 1111.”