Woman threatens to set fire to baby in Walsall street attack
A woman threatened to set fire to a newborn baby with a lighter as she attacked its mother with a garden light in Walsall.
The 35-year-old mother was walking with her baby, who was in a pushchair, along Paddock Lane in Aldridge when the incident unfolded at around 7.30pm on Monday.
She was approached by a young woman who tried to speak to her and paid lots of attention to the baby.
As the mother continued walking into Walsall Road the woman was still pestering her so she walked up the drive of a nearby house to ask for help.
An elderly man from the house came to assist her but the suspect grabbed a garden light and lunged it at the victim's arm.
She then pulled out a lighter and said she was going to set fire to the baby.
The elderly man pulled the mother and baby inside the house and shut the door. The woman then threw an ornament at the porch door, causing it to smash, before leaving.
The woman's injuries were not serious and the baby was unharmed, West Midlands Police said.
Detectives are now appealing for help tracking down the suspect, who is described as mixed race, aged 17 to 20 and around 5ft 5ins tall.
She is of a slim build with black afro hair, tied up in a ponytail, and was wearing a distinctive tie-dye cloudy pastel hoody, black trousers and black boots. She spoke with a local accent.
Detective Inspector Mandy Thompson, from West Midlands Police CID, said: “This is a shocking attack which must have been an incredibly frightening for the woman and the elderly man who helped her.
“Fortunately unprovoked attacks like this are extremely rare and we’re doing all we can to find the woman responsible.
“We have following up a number of lines of enquiry, but we need your help − if you saw anything on Monday evening − please get in touch.
“If you were out taking exercise, or in your car in the area and may have seen something, or have dash cam footage, we need to hear from you.
“Likewise if you think you know who this young woman could be, please let us know. It’s important that we identify her as it was a terrifying ordeal for the mother and the man who helped her out."
Anyone with information is urged to call West Midlands Police on 101, quoting crime reference number 20WS/109445C/20.
