A man accused of being part of a kidnapping gang who demanded $15 million (£12 million) in Bitcoin after a wealthy businessman was kidnapped from a golf course told a jury today that he was just a tourist from China.
Tianfu Guo, 35, said he played no role in Dylan Huang’s 30-hour ordeal, which began when he was bundled into a car in broad daylight near the 7th hole of Brocket Hall golf course in Hertfordshire.
The victim, a Chinese businessman living in London and Singapore, was beaten, handcuffed and held in a cage in a rented house in Thursley, near Guildford.
Guo, who is of no fixed address, denies conspiracy to kidnap on or before October 24 last year, conspiracy to blackmail and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Dylan Huang was on a championship track at Brocket Hall (pictured) in Hertfordshire when five men ran up to him and grabbed him before bundling him into a car
Guo, assisted by a Mandarin interpreter, said he was visiting Britain for two or three months and was “just a tourist.”
Earlier, Mr Huang, in his 30s, was playing golf with his PA and two other women when five men jumped out of a car and charged at him.
One pointed a gun at him, he was hit in the face and eyes and forced into the back of the black Audi Q7, which left the scene at high speed. The women he was with were sprayed in the face by members of the gang.
In a recorded interview with police, Mr Huang, who lives in Mill Hill, north London and Singapore, said he tried hard to resist but was punched in the eyes and face.
He said: ‘They put me in the back seat of the car with one holding my head and the other holding my feet. They put a blanket on my head. I couldn’t see anything.
‘In the car I tried to resist and tried to kick the door. I was told that if I tried this again they would immediately kill me with a knife. They put me in the space between the back seat and the front seat. They put their feet on my head and my body.’
Mr Huang was questioned by police at his home the day after his release. He wore a purple silk robe and constantly rubbed his eyes and face.
He said that after an hour and a half the car stopped and he got the impression that the men were changing the car’s license plates.
The gang are said to have taken their target to a property near Guildford in Surrey, where he was blindfolded and tape placed over his mouth. Pictured: Brocket Hall
Speaking through a Mandarin interpreter, he said they drove for another two hours before he was taken to a house and led up a spiral staircase to a room where he was placed in a cage. ‘I couldn’t get up. My legs couldn’t straighten. My head was covered and they had already put handcuffs on my hands and legs.’
Prosecutor Russell Pyne said: ‘Mr Huang was taken to a property in Thursley, near Guildford in Surrey, where he was blindfolded and tape placed over his mouth. He was walked up a series of winding stairs before being placed in a cage, where he could not stand upright. He was given food, but not allowed to go to the toilet.
The prosecutor said the victim was asked about his resources and how the ransom would be paid. “They wanted to be paid in $15 million in Bitcoin.
‘After several hours it seemed that the kidnappers became angry. They started hurting him and hitting his leg with an object.”
But, the court heard, his 30-hour ordeal came to a sudden end when he was driven away in a car and released in a remote area near the Silvermere Golf Course in Cobham, Surrey, near the junction of the M25 and the A3. alarm at a house around 11 p.m. on the night of Wednesday, October 25 last year.
Mr Huang told police that no ransom had been paid to the men by either himself or any of his contacts.
Mr Pyne told the jury that six other suspects are: Liang Tang, Wen Ji Nan, Xianchao Chen, Yazhou Tao, Yuan Gui Jin and Hanzhi Jiang.
‘They’re not here. The police failed to arrest them. They are all believed to be back in China,” he said.
Tianfu Guo, 35, was assisted at St Albans Crown Court (pictured) by a Mandarin interpreter
Guo had been arrested in London’s Chinatown an hour before Mr Huang’s release. He was driving an Audi Q5 car that had been tracked by an ANPR camera the day before and traveled in convoy with the Audi Q7, which had fake number plates, near Brocket Hall Golf Club.
The next day the Q5, a rental car with a real number plate, was tracked to an area just off the A3 south of Guildford. Police tracked him to London, where Guo was arrested. He had more than €4,000 with him. Police also found Chinese passports and identification cards of others. There was a video camera in the driver’s door pocket, an SD card and a small telescope.
Mr Pyne said police found evidence on the SD card that Mr Huang was under surveillance. ‘He was being watched by members of the kidnapping group. Both at his home, following his car and watching him play golf at Brocket Hall.’
Guo said he had nothing to do with the kidnapping. Guo, 36, said through an interpreter that he had come to Britain with the aim of sightseeing and exploring possible employment opportunities.
The married father-of-one, who had previously worked as a fruit wholesaler and recruitment agent, arrived from Xi’an to Heathrow Airport on July 9, 2023, on the recommendation of a friend.
He explained that his contact here was a man initially introduced to him as Wei Jia, but later known as Sun, who provided him with accommodation at no fewer than six different addresses in London.
Leading up to the kidnapping, Guo was living in Edgware and on the afternoon of October 24, he said he was asked to drive a man in a Q5 car to Welwyn Garden City.
After dropping him off, he said he stayed in the area for several hours.
He said he was resting at home and received a call and was given the postcode of an address near Guildford.
At around 4.30pm, Guo said he picked up some food from the Tesco supermarket in Guildford before arranging to meet the man and hand it over. He said he left the area and headed toward Chinatown, where he was subsequently arrested.
The process continues.