Detectives hunting a dangerous paedophile who snatched a girl from her bath have liaised with officers on the kidnap and rape of a youngster in Wales.

Det Chief Insp Jim Napier, the detective leading the hunt for the six-year-old's abductor, confirmed contact had been made with the other high-profile inquiry team.

A three-year-old was snatched from her Cardiff home, driven off and assaulted by up to three men, then thrown out of the kidnap car when it somersaulted while followed by police.

The attack came six days after the girl was grabbed from her home in Willington Quay, North Tyneside, sexually assaulted and dumped naked in the street.

Det Chief Insp Napier said: "We have liaised with officers involved in the Cardiff investigation. We are also talking to other forces investigating offences of a similar nature."

Police say it is unusual for such serious sexual predator cases to be reported with such a short time. However, they are not directly linking the two cases.

Detectives are gathering information into any patterns of offending related to the child snatches on Tyneside and other areas.

The Cardiff victim's mother revealed she was "overwhelmed" after her daughter was virtually snatched from her side.

Her 34-year-old mother said: "She's been through hell. All she's asking for is her dummy and her five-year-old brother. I'm so relieved to get her back.

"My sweet little girl is always so chatty and loves playing with Barbie dolls. But she's hardly spoken a word since this happened."

The girl returned home yesterday to the Rumney area of Cardiff after 24 hours in hospital.

Hours later police sealed off a building in Newport 10 miles from her home where it is believed she was taken to be attacked.

It is used as a halfway house by released prisoners. A man of 26 believed to be known to the girl's family and two other men aged 34 and 47 are under arrest on suspicion of kidnap and rape.

Det Chief Insp Napier said inquiries are continuing on Tyneside to track down the bath-snatch girl's attacker.

Police hope forensic evidence, including DNA, would help trap the attacker using the national data base should the man have come into contact with the police in the past.

The investigation was launched a week ago when the little girl was grabbed from her home in Willington Quay, North Tyneside taken off into the night only to be returned and dumped naked and screaming.

Police believe the youngster is lucky to be alive as the attacker may have panicked or been distracted during a 15-minute three-mile terror ride.