ATTEMPTED child snatcher Terry Delaney, whose case led to a campaign by The Press to have abductors put on the Sex Offenders' Register, has lost his appeal against his four-year jail term.

Judges sitting at London's Court of Appeal decided the Recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman, was right when he decided Delaney was a "future risk to children" because his motives must have been violent or sexual.

Delaney, 52, was sentenced in April after being found guilty of trying to abduct 13-year-old Natalie Hick, of Strensall, from a bus stop in Acomb last October.

His barrister David Dixon launched his appeal on the grounds that he had never given a reason for his offence, and may have simply wanted to talk to Natalie because he was lonely.

But Lord Justice Hughes, sitting with Mr Justice Mackay and Mr Justice Treacy, decided the original sentence was correct.

Mr Justice Mackay, summing up their decision, said: "A pre-sentence report expressed the view that the only explanation for what had happened must be that a presumed motive must be to commit either a sexual or violent act in relation to the girl.

"The judge described this conclusion as impeccable. Counsel describes it as speculative and said there could be other reasons for doing what the appellant did.

"He could have been lonely, he could have been drunk and he could have wanted to talk to the child.

"But it is entirely unsupported by anything from the defendant - he simply maintains his denial.

"Views of that sort in our judgement can only be described as fanciful."

He also praised the actions of Natalie Hick in bravely shaking herself free from Delaney and running away, adding; "She is a spirited 13-year-old and she was too much for him.

"Another girl might have gone along with him and another time something else might have happened."

Mr Mackay said Judge Hoffman did not have the option of making further orders against Delaney under existing laws for violent or sexual offenders.

He said it was "perhaps surprising that child abduction is not an offence specified under schedule 15" of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

The Press's Change It campaign is calling on the Government to make changes to a different law - the Sexual Offences Act 2003 - so that judges can make orders banning offenders from working or mixing with children.

Our appeal, which is backed by Sara Payne's charity Phoenix Survivors and which is already being considered by the Home Office, would also allow abductors to be put on the Sex Offenders' Register.

Trial judge was right to consider aggravating feature

APPEAL judges decided Judge Hoffman was right to consider an aggravating feature in Delaney's case was that he had been on bail for an alleged offence against another child when he tried to abduct Natalie.

The 52-year-old was said to have stroked the hair of four-year-old Chelsea Meek and said: "What I would do with you," during an incident at the Blockbuster Video shop in Acomb last August.

Chelsea's mum, Shelley Meek, previously told The Press how Delaney frightened her daughter and made her cry and how she was forced to pull the child away and leave the shop to get away from him.

Mr McKay said Judge Hoffman was "not only entitled" but "bound" to take this into consideration when he sentenced Delaney to his four-year term.

The Crown Prosecution Service looked at the case to see whether it should make further charges against Delaney, following his imprisonment for attempted child abduction.

But it was not thought to be in the public interest - because Delaney continued to deny the incident and would not end up with a longer jail sentence even if he was convicted.

Victim's mother pleased

NATALIE's mum June Hick, 47, who went to London to hear Delaney's appeal, said she was "very, very pleased" at the court's decision.

"We were concerned that Delaney shouldn't be released from prison any sooner because it would mean he was free to walk the streets and do something like this again," she said.

"Because of the loophole in the law which means he is not on the Sex Offenders' Register, he wouldn't be monitored when he came out of prison.

"I'm glad the judges accepted what Judge Hoffman decided - that Delaney must have had a bad motive when he tried to take Natalie."

She added: "I'm just very, very pleased that he's lost his appeal and Natalie feels exactly the same way."

Det Con Ben Bold, of York CID, who accompanied June and her partner, Peter Briggs, to the Appeal Court hearing, said: "I'm pleased that the judges agreed with the original sentence and that Natalie's family have got the decision they were hoping for."

The highest sentence available in the most serious of child abduction cases is seven years. Delaney's team argued his four-year term was excessive and hoped to reduce it down somewhere towards three years.