A Workington man who grabbed a child from her mother after taking a cocktail of drugs has been jailed for two years.

Andrew Bell, of Fisher Street, admitted charges of common assault, child abduction and a public order offence at Carlisle Crown Court.

The 34-year-old got a five-year-old girl in a headlock and dragged her by a rucksack after he struck her mother in the face.

In his police interview, he admitted taking drugs and described the incident as an "out of body experience".

Bell was seen calling for help in Falcon Place on Tuesday, January 23.

He approached a car where a parent was putting her child into a seat, opened the door and tried to get into the car alongside the child.

When the mother of a second child tried to pull him away, he struck her in the face before grabbing her five-year-old child.

The offender got the girl in a headlock before dragging her four metres by her coat and backpack.

With the help of other adults, she attempted to get the child away but Bell continued to swing his arms and fists towards those trying to help.

He finally let go of the girl and was wrestled to the ground by a man, who held him in place until help arrived. Bell was arrested at the scene.

An onlooker captured a video of the incident on a mobile phone.

In his police interview, Bell told officers he had been at a friend's house nearby when he had taken what he thought was cannabis but later learned was a cocktail of drugs.

He said he left the premises in search of help but couldn't explain why he thought attempting to get into a car beside a child or grabbing a little girl in the street was the best method to do so.

Bell blamed the drugs, saying it was "all a blank" and that he was having an "out of body experience" but told officers he remembered hitting the mother of the girl.

He said he felt "disgusted" and insisted he would "never hurt a kid" He concluded the interview by apologising "for what I have done".

Detective Sergeant Jim Rooney of Workington CID said: "Bell's actions that day caused terror for a mother, her little girl and all those who witnessed what he had done, including those who came to the mother and daughter's aid.

"Whilst Bell blames the drugs, it was his decision to take them and he remains responsible for his actions.

"His experience highlights the fact that anyone who takes illegal substances has no way of knowing for sure what they contain, in what concentration or what impact they will have on an individual.

"I would like to thank those who gave evidence in this case and those who helped the mother and child, including the man who restrained Bell and the person who filmed the incident, which provided officers with valuable evidence which helped to convict Bell.

"Their efforts have ensured that Bell has been brought to account for his actions and that the incident concluded without anyone suffering injury."