A Milan court heard Wednesday
that a British model allegedly kidnapped by a Pole in July and
threatened with being auctioned off as a Middle East sex slave
on the deep web suffered a series of acts of physical violence
including being drugged, handcuffed and brutally transported
inside a suitcase.
Police were testifying at the trial of Lucasz Herba, 30, for
abducting 20-year-old Chloe Ayling.
His brother Michal Konrad Herba, 36, is charged with
assisting his brother.
Ayling has said she feared she would be murdered after being
kidnapped in Milan and put on an online auction for bidders
willing to pay to have sex with her.
The model was attacked, drugged and closed in a suitcase
after being lured to the northern Italian city for a fake photo
shoot.
Suspected kidnapper Herba, a Polish national residing in
Birmingham, allegedly advertised the the woman online via the
deep web, while at the same time demanding ransom from her
agent.
"I went through a terrible experience," Ayling told State
broadcaster RAI.
"I feared for my life every minute. I'm infinitely grateful
to the Italian and British police for saving me. They worked
night and day to find me".
Herba was arrested on July 18, the day after he allegedly let
Ayling go, taking her to the British consulate in Milan.
The kidnapper may have let the woman go after discovering she
was unsuitable for the sex trade as she had a child, according
to reports.
Ayling's story was cast in doubt by some after reports she
had gone shoe shopping in Milan with Herba during her alleged
captivity.
Some suggested it was a publicity stunt.
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