Australian police seek slippery criminals

Police in the Australian city of Melbourne are searching for an unusual accomplice to a robbery - a one-metre python, which was involved in a hold-up on Saturday night.

Police say a young man went into a petrol station in the city , and after choosing some goods, he confronted the staff , brandishing the large snake in what police describe as a menacing way.

He and the snake absconded without paying for the goods.

The incident was filmed on the petrol station's security cameras.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service