Neeson prefers death to kidnapping

Liam Neeson has said that the death of a child is preferable to kidnap.

The Irish actor, whose recent film Taken revolves around an ex-CIA operative who attempts to find his abducted daughter in France, said that a kidnapping is a parent's greatest fear.

"I am a dad," he said. "I think it's probably the worst thing any parent could face, the abduction of a child. It really is. Death is preferable. There's no question of that."

Neeson, who has two sons with actress Natasha Richardson, added: "It would make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. These stories do get press coverage, but then they often disappear... It's on the increase."