The criminal trial of a man suspected of kidnapping a nine-year-old boy in Helsinki began in the city's district court behind closed doors on Wednesday.

The 54-year-old is accused of kidnapping and aggravated theft.

The man is suspected of abducting the child in the Kulosaari district of the capital in April. According to police information at the time, the suspect forced the boy into a car just before nine in the morning and started driving east from Kulosaari.

The suspect then allegedly sent a message to the child's parents in an effort to blackmail them. However, the child managed to escape after his captor drove him to Sipoo and zip-tied him to a tree.

The court has set aside two days for the trial, which is not being held publicly, which means members of the media are not permitted to observe the proceedings.

In its justification for holding the trial in private, the court said that the case will present sensitive personal information about those involved. It said that if the trial were to be held in the public eye, it could cause damage to the trial's participants.

The court said it plans to decide whether the verdict will be publicly announced at a later date.