A dad donned a disguise in a "sinister and disturbing" kidnap plot to take his son out of the country.
The "devious and cunning" father bought a mask and wig before snatching the six-year-old on Christmas Eve and telling him they were going on holiday near Turkey.
After taking the boy from his ex-partner's car, police caught them heading south of the UK with the dad holding a one-way Eurotunnel ticket.
The child suffered a broken leg in the incident and ended up spending Christmas Day in hospital.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the defendant, in his 30s, had a "zealous, ideological belief" that parents could kidnap their children if they weren't getting their own way.
He had developed a grudge with the family courts and social services while attempting to contact his son, and even used a tracker to monitor his ex-partner, reports Chronicle Live.
The dad, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also offered a "service" to another parent going through a family court case to have their child kidnapped.
He has now been jailed for six years with an extended licence period of a further three years.
Recorder Tom Moran told him: "The evidence reveals you to be a devious and cunning person.
"Having not got satisfaction from the family courts or social services, you spent several months on your plan to snatch the child.
"It happened on Christmas Eve, no doubt chosen to have maximum impact. You say you love your son.
"On this particular day, any feelings you had for him were entirely eclipsed by your own selfish desire.
"It was all about you and what you thought was good for you, with a reckless disregard for his feelings.
"You had no regard whatsoever about how he would feel about being wrenched away from his mother on, of all days, Christmas Eve, the most exciting day for any child.
"This was something you had been planning for months in a deeply sinister and disturbing way.
"You had a deep-seated anger towards the family courts and social services. You believed you were entitled to take the law into your own hands.
"You were given a pathway to contact and rejected it. She (the child's mum) didn't try to exclude you from his life but was deferring to the family courts."
Phone recordings made by the dad showed he had been following his ex-partner for months and had even gone outside wearing his disguise to see how people would respond.
Recorder Moran said: "You gave up your job to follow this obsession. You were seen changing your number plates leading up to this on dummy runs. You also spoke about going out in public in disguise.
"On Christmas Eve you tracked them to a shop using the tracking device. You blocked her car in, put a brick behind her rear wheel and you were wearing a disguise.
"You went to the back of the car, opened the door and pulled (the child) out of the car, causing a spiral fracture to his leg.
"She (the mum) tried to stop you but you pushed her away and sped off in a car with false number plates on."
The judge said he had shown no remorse and doesn't believe he has done anything wrong.
He added: "You also got involved in other people's disputes. It exposes what it was that drove you to do what you did, a zealous ideological belief that it's acceptable for parents to snatch their children away from the other parent if they are not getting their way with the family courts or social services.
"You somehow got the home address of a parent in family proceedings and turned up, unsolicited, to offer a service to them, saying 'we illegally take children, check out our website, if things don't work out in the family court we have a team that will follow the child and get them back and get you out of the country.'"
The dad was found guilty of kidnapping the child and common assault on his ex-partner.
He was cleared of GBH on his son, but the judge said the broken leg was still a relevant feature in the case.
Liam O'Brien, defending, said: "It was not appropriate for him to take the law into his own hands but these offences were motivated by his love for his son rather than simply to hurt his former partner.
"There is a positive side to him. He has worked throughout his life and demonstrated there's a side to him that's constructive.
"The thing that's going to live with him far longer than any sentence this court can impose is the damage he has done to the relationship he would otherwise have been able to have with his son.
"He has gravely damaged any prospect he would otherwise have had of reaching some kind of resolution and seeing and spending time with his son over the milestones that are coming over the next several years.
