Robbers held knife to baby's throat

A baby boy had a knife pressed against his throat by armed robbers who demanded his mother hand over money, it was disclosed today.

Nickola Tye and her 21-month-old son Nathan were attacked as they arrived home in Shireoaks, near Worksop, Nottinghamshire.

One of the robbers pressed the gun and a knife to the eyes of 32-year-old Mrs Tye before she was repeatedly kicked and punched.

Her hands and feet were then bound with electrical wiring before the gang ransacked her £265,000 detached cottage and escaped with designer watches and jewellery.

The mother managed to untie herself and alert a neighbour. She suffered a suspected broken nose and black eye in the attack in March.

She and her 34-year-old husband, also called Nathan, have now put their home up for sale because they can no longer face living there.

The family had returned from a day in Manchester where Mr Tye, a motor racing fan, was competing.

They had driven back in separate cars and Mr Tye had stopped off at his business on the way home.

Mrs Tye told the Daily Mail one of the men must have followed her inside her home.

She said: "The man dragged me into the living room. There were other men there and Nathan was sitting on a sofa crying.

"He held a gun to my head and then pushed one of the knives against my face. Another man held a knife to Nathan's throat.

"When I saw that, I started fighting back and the man began punching me again and again in the face.

"I don't know how many times he hit me and all the time Nathan was crying and screaming, I was terrified they would kill us both."

The gang fled after 20 minutes with two watches, including a Rolex, two rings, and some cash.

Detective Constable Lee Keeling, from Nottinghamshire police, said: "This was an extremely nasty incident in which a woman inside the house was assaulted and sustained serious facial injuries.

"It is important that anybody with any information about those involved contacts the police immediately."