Kidnappers threatened to kill golfer, jury hears

A businessman kidnapped as he played golf and then held in a cage told police his captors threatened to "kill him with a knife", a court has heard.

Jurors were told how a gang snatched Dylan Huang from the course at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire and then demanded a ransom of 15 million US dollars (£11.8m) in cryptocurrency.

In a police interview played in court, Mr Huang said they had threatened to knife him "straight away" after he tried to resist.

Tianfu Guo, a 35-year-old of no fixed address, has gone on trial at St Albans Crown Court. He has denied any involvement.

The jury was told another six suspects were believed to be in China.

In October, Mr Huang, who is in his 30s and lives in London and Singapore, was playing golf with his personal assistant and two other women.

The jury heard how five men rushed towards them. The three women's faces were sprayed with an unknown substance.

A gun was pointed at Mr Huang, he was forced into a car and then driven to a property in Surrey, where he was held for 30 hours, the prosecution said.

Speaking through a Mandarin interpreter, Mr Huang told officers: “In the car I tried to resist and tried to kick the door. I was told if I tried to do this again they would kill me with a knife straight away."

He said his captors drove him for two hours to a house where he was led up a spiral staircase and placed in a cage.

“I couldn’t stand up. My legs couldn’t stretch straight. My head was covered and they had already put handcuffs on my hands and legs,” he said.

The jury also heard from Andrew Scott, the property manager at Brocket Hall, near Welwyn Garden City.

He said he was in a meeting with the managing director when he heard a noise that sounded like somebody being beaten up.

Mr Scott described the kidnappers as Asian and “very smart with trousers and white shirts".

In a statement read to the jury, another member of staff, Sarah Reeves-Hart, said she had seen Mr Huang being attacked.

“They were punching him in the torso. He was face up."

She added: “The three males had loose cotton masks covering a large chunk of their face.

“The victim had been handcuffed. They dragged him to a parked car and bundled him in.”

Mr Guo, who has a Mandarin interpreter in court, denies three charges:

• conspiracy to kidnap on or before 24 October 2023
• conspiracy to blackmail on or before 25 October 2023
• possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence on 24 October

Prosecutor Russell Pyne told the jury that in police interviews Guo said he had nothing to do with the kidnap.

The case continues.

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