A 40-year-old man has been sentenced to seven years in jail for kidnapping and robbing a student during a 45 minute terror ride.

Alfred Kosi Kutsoati, of Whitefield Road, Bury, was one of a gang of four men who grabbed the terrified victim off the street, forced him to hand over his wallet and drove him to a cash machine.

He was sentenced yesterday at Manchester Crown Court after being found guilty of one count of kidnap and one count of robbery following a three-day trial.

The 23-year-old student from Withington was walking along Parrs Wood Road in the town in the early hours of the morning when a white Mercedes pulled up alongside him.

Four men wearing scarves grabbed the victim and pulled him onto the back seat of the vehicle where they punched him.

The gang continued to threaten him, before searching him and taking his wallet, forcing him to tell them the pin number of his cash card.

After driving around for a short time, the car pulled up outside a cash point where the men withdrew some cash, got back in the car and carried on driving.

The student's ordeal, which happened at 2am on Friday February 7 this year, lasted for 45 minutes before the men covered his face, tied his hands, and abandoned him in Longford Park in Chorlton.

Det Con Dave McCulloch, said: "This was a terrifying experience for the victim and today's sentence clearly illustrates that incidents of this nature will not be tolerated.

"Kutsoati and the other men involved showed no hesitation in threatening and using violence against the victim, and it is fortunate that he was not more seriously injured. This sentence has brought one of the perpetrators to justice, but so far no one else has been arrested in connection with this incident."

Anyone with information about the identity of gang members is asked to call 0161 856 6115 or call Crimetoppers on 0800 555 111