Kidnapper snatched businessman from golf course and held him in tiny cage for ransom

A man was today convicted of being part of a kidnap gang who seized a wealthy businessman from a championship golf course and held him captive in a cage at a property in Surrey.

Tianfu Guo, 35, of no fixed address, played a role in Dylan Huang's terrifying 30-hour ordeal which commenced when he was forced into a vehicle near the 7th hole at Brocket Hall golf course in Hertfordshire in broad daylight.

Mr Huang, who is in his 30s, was enjoying a round of golf with his PA and two other women when five men suddenly emerged from a car and charged at him, the jury heard.

One of them brandished a firearm, he was hit in the face and eyes and shoved into the back of the black Audi Q7, which quickly sped away from the scene.

During his ordeal, the victim was kept in a cage in a Surrey property. The cage was so small that he could not stand up or stretch his legs out. He was not allowed to use the toilet and he was only allowed to eat a little – some dried beef and biscuits on the day he was taken, and an apple and milk the next day, police said.

Several hours after being put into the cage, the captors began to assault the victim by hitting his leg with an object. When he arrived at the property, the captors had demanded a ransom of 15 million dollars to be paid in bitcoin.

Meanwhile, police discovered Guo was in central London the following night. He had driven to the Chinatown area, where he was arrested at 9.41pm. An SD card which was recovered from his vehicle showed surveillance video footage of the victim.

Just over an hour after Guo’s arrest, the victim was released. He had been held captive in a holiday home that his captors had rented in Thursley, Surrey.

When he was released, he was led to a vehicle and driven for about 90 minutes to Cobham in Surrey. He was told not to go home or alert the police. The safety of his family was threatened if he disobeyed the instructions.

After taking some moments to adjust to his freedom, the victim knocked on the front door of the closest house he could find and asked for help. The resident helped him to call a taxi to get back home. When the victim arrived back, the police were already at his property and he was taken to hospital. He had injuries to his eyes after being punched by his captors and blindfolded tight.

Detective Inspector Justine Jenkins, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “I am glad that the jury have reached this decision today. It continues to be a complex and challenging case and our officers were working around the clock to find the victim safe. He was put through a traumatic ordeal and he has been supported by our specially trained officers. I hope that today’s result goes some way in helping him to recover from his ordeal.”

Tianfu Guo was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to blackmail. He was found not guilty of conspiracy to possess an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. Guo will be sentenced on Thursday 25 April.