Raiders hold knife to baby's throat as they demand cash off mother

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:33 PM on 19th July 2010

A baby boy had a knife held to his throat as his mother was beaten by a gang demanding money, it has emerged.

One of the masked raiders also pressed a gun and knife against the eyes of Nickola Tye, 32, as she was repeatedly kicked and punched.

She had just walked into her £265,000 home in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, with her 21-month-old son Nathan when they struck.

She was bound hand and foot with electrical wiring before the four-strong gang ransacked the detached cottage and fled with designer watches and jewellery.

Mrs Tye managed to untie herself, grabbed her son and raised the alarm at a neighbour's house before realising the full extent of her injuries.

She was left with a suspected broken nose, massive bruising and her left eye badly swollen and after the attack.

Now Mrs Tye and husband, also called Nathan, have put their home up for sale because she can no longer bear to live there.

The family had just returned from a day out at Manchester where Mr Tye, 34, a motor racing enthusiast, was competing when the raiders struck.

‘We had gone in separate cars and Nathan had called in at his business premises,’ said Mrs Tye.’

‘It was about 8.30pm when I arrived home with Nathan Jnr. I opened the door and one of them must have followed me inside.

‘He was dressed all in black and he threw me to the floor and started shouting "Where's the money".

‘I told him there wasn't any apart from a small amount of cash and some watches. I was terrified because Nathan Jnr was with me.

‘The man dragged me into the living room, there were other men there and Nathan was sitting on a sofa crying, again the man demanded money.

‘He held a gun to my head and then pushed one of my knife 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.’

After 20 minutes the gang fled, with two watches including a Rolex, an engagement and wedding ring and a small amount of cash.

Mrs Tye managed to untie herself and ran to a neighbour’s to alert police and her husband who was still at his business premises.

She added: ‘We have now put our cottage up for sale because it has too many bad memories and I am terrified these people may come back.’

Detective Constable Lee Keeling of Worksop CID said: ‘This was an extremely nasty incident in which a woman inside the house was assaulted and sustained serious facial injuries.’

He also revealed that similar incidents have occurred in the neighbouring county of South Yorkshire.

Detective Constable Keeling added: ‘It is important that anybody with any information about those involved contacts the police immediately.’

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1295936/Mothers-terror-armed-gang-attack-baby-home-cash-jewellery-raid.html