Boy, 11, kidnapped by gang

An 11-year-old boy was kidnapped by a gang who tortured his father before demanding a ransom, it emerged tonight.

The child was found in the boot of a car following a terrifying ordeal, Northern Ireladn police said.

Both the boy and his father were woken from their sleep at their home in Greenisland, Co Antrim, at around 12.30am.

They were hooded and bound by the kidnappers who forced them outside before bundling the youngster into the boot of a car and driving off.

A Police Service of Northern Ireland spokeswoman said: “His father was then put in the back of another car and driven to a house where he was burnt with cigarettes and assaulted.

“Demands were made for money to ensure the safety of his son.”

The father was released at around 5.30am at Trooper’s Lane, Carrickfergus, police said.

He was ordered to bring the undisclosed ransom to Ballyduff Brae in nearby Newtownabbey four hours later.

At the meeting point a man on a red and white trial-type motorcycle took the ransom and handed him the key to his stolen car.

He was instructed to go to Knockagh Monument, a war memorial site overlooking Newtownabbey, where his frightened son was discovered in the car boot.

As police urged any witnesses to contact them, the spokeswoman added: “The 11-year-old boy was uninjured but the family have been traumatised by the experience.”