Pre-Christmas joy and excitement was abruptly replaced by anxiety and grief when Adoption-net editor Matt Bailey arrived at work to find his beloved all-singing, all-dancing Christmas tree had been kidnapped.

A chilling ransom note was left by the evil wrong-doers. It featured a terrifying image of the trembling tree with a gun held at its head.

The tree had brightened up the lives of workers at Cardinal Square, Derby, home to NEP (Midlands), which also brings Holdthefrontpage to the Internet.

The plastic pine had been doing his cheery dance and his jolly rendition of Jingle Bell Rock for hours before his overnight disappearance.

The kidnappers' handwritten note demanded two dozen luxury mince pies, removal of all tacky singing Christmas items from the office, a car to the airport to Lapland to see the Lap dancers, and - strangely - Anna Kournikova.Matt, too distraught to speak, said nothing.

Project Manager Elaine Pritchard said: "In a spirit of goodwill to all men, and women, I had relaxed my "tidy desk" policy for the Christmas period.

"Now it seems that the friendly rivalry for the best- decorated desk has taken a dark and sinister turn."

Inspector Douglas Fir, of the Derbyshire constabulary, declined to comment.

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