It was one of those toys with a plush body and a soft plastic head so they didn't pull the head off but the woman at security grabbed it off her and pushed her fingers into it's eyes and squeezed it's head in.

The girl must have been about 2 years old and clearly at the toy as 'little friend' stage. It was obviously a favorite toy that she didn't want to let go of so snatching it off her and doing that in front of her must of been terrifying.

Why they couldn't have turned it into game I don't know.

I would have told the girl that the scanner machine was a little train ride or something like that and took her mind off it that way (surely the scanner would have picked up anything inside).

They frisk random people after going through the detector (usually about 1 in 5).

One woman had to take thigh length boots off (nothing kinky they were gum boot style wellies because of the snow but she had a time trying to get them off).

I ended up being frisked myself. The last time I flew I had lost a lot of weight due to ill health and they made me take my belt off so I had to keep my trousers up with my hand going through (as a boy I used to travel in my kilt which would be impossible now).

Having a stranger snatch her hand while some mysterious machine ran all over her mum must have been confusing too.

It was horrible and under the circumstances completely pointless seeing as Gatwick was closed at three and most of the other London area airports and Luton were closed before then. They must have known none of us were actually flying anywhere.