Abducted British model suffered violence (2)

(ANSA) - Milan, February 7 - 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.