TWO men described as ‘a high risk to children’ were jailed today, Thursday, for attempting to abduct two young brothers.

The boys, aged eight and ten, were on their way home after playing in a park when a car pulled up alongside them, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

The two Iranian occupants tried to entice the youngsters into the car. The younger boy moved to get in but his older brother pulled him away and they fled home.

Jailing the driver Hassan Meshedi and passenger Aram Younis for five years each Judge Norman Wright said that he had concluded that the attempted abduction "must have been sexually motivated."

He said that Younis did the talking: "You sought to inveigle these two small boys to get into your vehicle. Happily for them they obviously had loving, caring and sensible parents who had brought them up properly so that they knew how to respond to advances by total strangers.

"The older one had the presence of mind to stop his younger brother being beguiled by your words."

Both men pose 'a high risk to children' according to the pre-sentence reports.

They denied the offence but a jury unanimously found Younis, aged 23, of Irvine Street, Leigh and Meshedi, aged 31, of Chapel Street, Leigh, guilty last month.

Graham Pickavance, prosecuting, told the court that statements revealed the impact on the boys, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, since the incident in Abram on July 13.

The older boy now struggles to sleep and regularly sleep walks while shouting for his little brother trying to make sure he is safe.

His brother has been suffering from nightmares, will not go upstairs in his home alone and also has trouble sleeping.

Their mother said she will not let them out of her sight and feels that the incident has affected their lives and childhood.