A woman has admitted attempting to abduct a baby on an Aberdeen bus.

Joan Smith attempted to take the eight-month-old on Holburn Road in November last year.

The 44-year-old pled guilty to attempted plagium at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Tuesday.

The child's mother noticed Smith standing in the area reserved for prams when she got on the bus on November 11.

Smith initially moved away to give her room but then stepped in front of the pram when the child's mother tried to get off the bus.

Fiscal depute Anne MacDonald told the court: "The child's mother said 'Excuse me. Please don't do that'. And it was at this stage there was an exchange of words, with the panel stating: 'Don't you know I've lost my child?' The child's mother didn't know what she meant."

The court heard Smith walked off the bus then got back on the vehicle again, before walking up to the pram.

Ms MacDonald said: "The child's mother then noticed that the panel placed both her hands on the infant's arms and tried to lift the baby out of the pram. The pram straps prevented the child from being removed from the pram.

"The panel then walked off the bus and was heard to shout 'the police would take our son away because that's what they do'."

The court heard Smith, who was described in paperwork as a prisoner at HMP Grampian, left the scene and the bus driver drove away.

The child's mother later reported the incident to the police and said she had been extremely frightened.

She told officers that she strongly believed that the woman would have taken her baby if he had not been strapped in. Sheriff Graeme Buchanan deferred sentence for background reports until later this year.