British businessman, 46, describes kidnap hell after being knocked unconscious by masked men who burst into his apartment during a work trip in Brussels: ‘I begged them not to stab me’

A British businessman was kidnapped and beaten unconscious by masked men who raided his apartment during a business trip to Brussels.

Mark Langdon, 46, was four days into his two-week trip when the men burst into his apartment and put a knife to his throat.

After searching his belongings, they blindfolded him and threw him in the back of his car.

After ten minutes of driving, the car stopped and one of the men got out, giving Mark the opportunity to escape.

He ran towards them and tried to get into the vehicle, but they intercepted him and knocked him unconscious.

A few hours later he woke up and was taken to the hospital, where doctors told him he had a broken nose, a fractured skull and a broken arm.

Mark, a photo editor from Plymouth, Devon, said: ‘I have a lot of flashbacks of what I could have done to get out of the situation.

‘I remember one of them standing over me with a knife and I begged them not to stab me.

‘Mentally I’m not doing so well and physically it still hurts.

‘It’s not a nice feeling, I feel very anxious, which I never had before.

‘The thought of staying alone in accommodation somewhere really put me off.’

The incident happened when Mark was staying at the Condo Gardens in Brussels, Belgium in January.

At 2 a.m. on day four of his business trip, he was awakened by the sound of the front door unlocking.

He said: ‘Two boys came in with a knife, they put the knife to my throat and put the silencing finger on my mouth.

‘They started saying ‘where’s your money’ and started searching my room.

‘From there they took me out of bed, blindfolded me and tied my hands behind my back.

“They tried to take me out of my apartment, but I refused to go and they started hitting me on the head.”

Mark claims he was taken to the parking lot and thrown in the back of his car.

They drove for about ten minutes before one of the masked men got out and Mark took this opportunity to escape.

He said: ‘They wanted to take me to an ATM to withdraw money.

‘When the driver opened his door, I managed to get one hand free and stepped out of the back door.

“Instead of running away, I ran towards them to try to get my car back.

‘One of them hit me on the back of the head and I fell to the ground. Then I fell unconscious.’

Mark was woken hours later by a woman asking if she should call the police.

He said: ‘Officers said my head looked like it had been kicked by a football.

‘I had a few scans and it looked like my head had separated from my spine.

‘I’m still in pain, my arm, head and nose teeth are all still very sore from where I was kicked.’

Mark said he will never return to Belgium because he no longer feels safe there.

“I’d been there maybe three or four times before,” he said. “But this time it seemed so unreliable.

“I knew the area I was staying in was a bit seedy, but when you’re in your apartment you’re supposed to be safe.”