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A "terrified" woman gave her purse to a robber who put a knife to her 19-month-old grandson's throat, police said.

The woman, in her 40s, was with the boy on a woodland path off Ormesby Road, Normanby, Middlesbrough, shortly after 17:00 BST on Friday.

A man emerged from bushes and demanded her purse. She initially refused, but handed it over when he put the blade to the throat of her child.

Neither the child, who was in a pushchair, or the woman, were injured.

'Bad teeth'

A Cleveland Police spokesman said: "This was clearly a terrifying incident for the victim and very distressing as it involved a threat of violence against her grandchild."

He said the victim described the suspect, who fled the scene shortly after the robbery, as an "Asian male" with "very bad teeth" and a "foreign accent".

He is further described as being about 25, 6ft tall, of medium build and with short black hair.

He was wearing a black tracksuit with one red stripe down the side and a black leather belt with a pouch around his waist.

He also had black and gold Nike brand trainers.