A HORRIFIED young mother and her baby daughter were kidnapped and taken on a terrifying journey by a man who threatened to infect the 11-week-old child with AIDS.

And the woman's husband was forced to watch helplessly as his family were driven away from a crowded supermarket car park.

The incident, which senior officers have described as one of the most horrendous they have dealt with, began when the family from Darwen arrived at the Asda superstore at Grimshaw Park, Blackburn at 4.30pm yesterday.

The 27-year-old mother and her sleeping baby stayed in the car while her husband went in to the store to do the shopping, leaving the car keys in the ignition. While he was away a dark-haired man jumped into the driver's seat and demanded the woman's purse and jewellery. He assaulted the woman, who was trapped on the back seat of the two-door vehicle before driving the car towards the Shadsworth area.

The horrified father came out of the store just in time to see his family being taken.

During the journey the mother tried to grab the kidnapper from behind but the crazed driver lashed out causing her neck injuries.

In a gruesome threat to the baby he produced a hypodermic needle which he said was infected with the AIDS virus and threatened to inject it into the 11-month-old child, who was sitting on the front passenger seat.

The man let the woman and her child out of the car when it reached Largs Road and Young mother's kidnap terror

the vehicle was later found abandoned on Sandwich Close.

Police, who were today carrying out forensic tests on the car in a bid to trace the kidnapper, believe he may have been lurking in the car park before choosing his victim.

They fear the woman may need long-term counselling to recover. She was left distraught by the incident and was recovering at home today. Inspector Stuart Coates said: "This was a very nasty incident and we are anxious to trace the man involved.

"During the journey the man made several threats to the mother, including telling her he had AIDS and threatening to inject her baby with an infected hypodermic needle.

"We have already spoken to several witnesses from the Asda car park but are keen to speak to anyone else who saw them either in Largs Road or saw the car being abandoned in Sandwich Close."

The man is white, in his early to mid 20s, around 5ft 8ins tall with short dark brown hair and blue eyes.

He spoke with a local accent and was wearing a black bomber jacket made of shiny material.

The car was an M-registered grey Vauxhall Astra hatchback.

Anyone with information should contact Blackburn Police on 01254 51212.

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