02 March 2024 , 17:07
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A kidnapper who abducted glamour model Chloe Ayling seven years ago has reportedly been released from prison.
Mum-of-one Chloe, now 26, was lured to Milan by Polish national Lukasz Herba in 2017 with the promise of modelling work, only to be drugged and kidnapped. He is said to have then developed feelings for the model which she used to her advantage and escaped to the British consulate in Milan, ending her six-day ordeal.
Chloe claimed she had been injected with the tranquilliser ketamine, stuffed into a holdall bag and driven 120 miles in a car boot to a remote farmhouse near Turin. She claimed she had been gagged, was unconscious for much of the journey, and was later told she would be auctioned as a sex slave on the dark web for €300,000 (£265,000).
Herba was jailed for 16 years in 2019 but it was reduced to five years. It has now been claimed he was released 18 months ago for good behaviour, according to MailOnline.
When she returned home, Chloe gave an interview to TV reporters outside her home, saying: “I feared for my life, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour." Yet her story was scrutinised as footage showed Chloe on CCTV footage in an Italian village, holding her kidnapper’s hand.
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Lukasz Herba has been released from prison, it has been reported (PA)She ended up being grilled by Piers Morgan who told her: “It’s not insignificant to be going shopping with the alleged kidnapper and buying new shoes. If you’re going to conduct media interviews where you’re being paid money, and you’re doing a book for thousands of pounds before there’s even been a trial, I think we’re perfectly entitled to ask you difficult questions.”
Chloe told him: “It will all come out in the end."
The complex case inspired a new BBC show, Kidnapped, which the broadcaster announced "follows Chloe’s terrifying kidnap, her bravery and resilience in captivity, and the subsequent court case which put her kidnappers in jail.” The series, written by George Lester, brings the ordeal and court case to screen by drawing on legal documents, Chloe's published diary and extensive interviews.
Speaking about Kidnapped, Chloe said: "I am excited Studios are telling my story and that the wider world will get to know the truth about what happened to me and learn of the many details that weren't brought to light originally."