| Banker's family in kidnap ordeal Press Association
Wednesday September 22, 2004 4:43 PM A bank manager, his wife and two daughters were kidnapped at gunpoint by armed robbers. The victims were snatched at their home in Leigh, Lancashire by two armed men. The manager was then forced to open his branch in Manchester at 7.30am this morning. When four other bank workers arrived for work, all five were locked inside the bank vault. The raiders made off with a "substantial amount" of cash, Greater Manchester Police said. Police said the family, including the manager's two daughters, aged 12 and 14, are, "severely traumatised". The victims' terrifying ordeal began when two armed men arrived at their house. They forced the bank manager to drive the family car to an unknown location, at gunpoint, with his wife and children inside, police said. Once they reached their destination, they ordered the family into a pale blue Ford Transit van. The four were then driven in the back of the van for approximately 30 minutes until it came to a stop at a warehouse- style building, again in an unknown area. The family was left inside the van until approximately 7.30am today when the man was forced to go to the NatWest bank on Bury New Road in Whitefield, Manchester. At this point, the woman and her two children were taken to Ringley Old Brow in the Stoneclough area of Bolton were they were tied to a lamppost and abandoned. © Copyright Press Association Ltd 2004, All Rights Reserved. What a deeply unpleasant crime. Thank goodness no-one was badly hurt. | 
