THREE thugs have been jailed after kidnapping a pregnant woman and bundling her into a white Transit van.
The victim, 36, was snatched outsider her Enfield home in London on May 10 last year by the trio.
met policeThe pregnant woman was thrown into the back of a white Ford Transit van[/caption]
She was bound with cable ties and threatened while her partner was forced to listen on the phone
She had been waiting for a taxi to take her to a work-out session when the horror ensued.
As the woman, who was six-months pregnant, walked down the street Audi Johnson, 35, Ahmad Ghiasi, 26, and Nicholas Mitchell, 55, grabbed her.
CCTV footage showed the gang pull up and stop for 15 seconds while a struggle unfolded.
They bundled her into the back of their white Ford transit van and threatened to cut off her fingers while they had her partner on the phone.
She had her hands bound with cable ties and was blindfolded while they said: “If you lie to me I’m gonna kick the baby out your stomach.”
Johnson, Ghiasi, and Mitchell demanded money and jewellery from the victim’s boyfriend.
It later emerged the London-based trio had been contracted to carry out the kidnap.
Miraculously, the brave woman managed to escape the van and hailed a taxi to her mum’s house.
The Met’s Flying Squad later found the van using CCTV later on the same night.
Officers tracked down the suspects from DNA evidence, fingerprint impressions and mobile phone data.
After a six-week trial at Kingston Crown Court, Johnson, Ghiasi and Mitchell were found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap on Tuesday, June 3.
In a powerful victim impact statement, the woman said she has not been able to go home since the attack.
She spent the remainder of her pregnancy sleeping on her sister’s couch.
“The incident ruined my life. I will never be the same person again. I am having to start my life all over again,” she told the court.
“I will forever have fear and paranoia as part of my life now. I didn’t deserve to be a victim of what happened to me.
“And to top it off, it was all made so much worse by being pregnant.
“This will always be something that will be part of my pregnancy, which is meant to be a happy experience, and will always be something that is a part of my daughter.”
Johnson, of Cranberry Close, Northolt, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and was sentenced to five years and four months.
Ghiasi, of Fourth Avenue, Luton, was sentenced to seven years for the same charge.
Mitchell, of Mannock Close, Barnet was sentenced to nine years for conspiracy to kidnap.
Detective Inspector Ari Yoganathan, of the Flying Squad, who led the Met’s investigation, said: “The victim was leaving her home to see her personal trainer on a morning that should have been like any other.
“That a pregnant mother should be bundled into a van and kidnapped from outside her home, bound and subjected to horrific threats is a disgusting and terrifying crime.
“Officers were able to track her attackers through forensic analysis of CCTV and phone data, recordings and intelligence.
“This verdict shows how we are taking the fight to criminal gangs and committed to supporting the local communities they intimidate and threaten.”
Ghiasi was sentenced to seven years for the same charge
Mitchell was sentenced to nine years for conspiracy to kidnap
Johnson was sentenced to five years and four months Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
