Model accused of staging kidnapping 'vindicated' after man jailed for 16 years

A man accused of kidnapping a 20-year-old model has been convicted after the court rejected his claims that the abduction was staged to boost the victim’s career.

British model Chloe Ayling, who made headlines around the world last year, claimed to have been drugged and kidnapped after being lured to Milan on the false promise of attending a fashion shoot.

She was taken to a remote mountain village where she was kept for almost a week before Polish national Lukasz Herba drove her back to Milan and released her near the British consulate.

She claims she was told she had been kidnapped by an organised gang and would be auctioned off online as a sex slave.

The court handed Herba a prison sentence of 16 years and nine months — a month longer than prosecutors had requested.

He denied his guilt throughout the trial, even as his story shifted, and as he left the courtroom in handcuffs.

“I never hurt the girl. I was not violent with her,” Herba said during the trial.

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“If she felt forced verbally in any way, I am very sorry. But it certainly was not as Chloe has described.

“I was in love, and I was hoping that once her fame took off that she would repay me with feelings and we would share the money.”

Ms Ayling’s lawyer, Francesco Pesce, emphasised the importance of the verdict and said she was still considering possible civil action in British courts against media outlets that suggested she had lied to become famous.

“There were many cases in which she was publicly shamed about this,” Pesce said.

During closing arguments, Herba’s lawyer cited an email she received from a film producer, who pointed out that Ms Ayling’s story closely matched the plot of an American movie titled “By Any Means,” released about eight weeks before the 2017 kidnapping.

Her lawyer dismissed the attempt to discredit his client, saying “there have been films made about every crime in the world”.

In London, Ayling’s current agent Adrian Sington said the verdict was “vindication – her story is true.”

“And it means now she can get on with her life,” Sington said. “It’s hard if you’re being painted in the press as a liar, and now she’s able to say, ‘I know it’s a bizarre story, but it’s a true one'”.