A child has been held hostage by a kidnapper who attacked the child's father and forced him to demand money from a Belfast post office.

The kidnapper approached the family on Thursday morning outside their home in the Castlerobin area.

He punched the father and forced him to drive to Ravenhill Road post office.

The kidnapper stayed in the car with the child as the father went inside, but then left the scene. The child was not harmed during the incident.

Det Insp Harry Colgan said: "While the suspect did not take any money, this was a despicable act carried out by someone with absolutely no regard for the safety of the victim or his child."

The father told police that during the incident, the kidnapper poured an unknown liquid over him.

He was approached at about 10:30 BST after putting his child in the back seat of his green VW Golf.

The kidnapper punched him through an open window as he got into the driving seat, and told him to drive along the Ormeau Road, towards Ravenhill Road.

When they parked the car in Dublin Street, the kidnapper gave the father a bag and told him to rob the post office.

When the father returned to the car, the suspect was gone but his child remained in the car unharmed.

Police were then called to the scene.

They have appealed to witnesses to contact detectives on the non-emergency number 101.