Man sentenced following golf club kidnap

A man has been sentenced in connection with the kidnapping of a wealthy businessman from Brocket Hall Golf Club, near Welwyn Garden City.

Tianfu Guo, aged 35, of no fixed abode, appeared at St Albans Crown today (Monday 29 April) where he was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for conspiracy to kidnap and 12 years imprisonment for conspiracy to blackmail. The sentences will run concurrently.

Guo had been found guilty of the offences on Friday 19 April. He was found not guilty of conspiracy to possess an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

At around 4.10pm on Tuesday 24 October 2023, the victim was playing golf when he was approached by a group of men who pointed a pistol at him and bundled him into a black Audi Q7. Three people who were with the victim had a substance sprayed at their faces.

The victim was taken to a holiday home that his captors had rented in Thursley, Surrey. He was put in a small cage and the captors demanded a ransom of 15 million dollars to be paid in bitcoin.

He was beaten, not allowed to use the toilet, and given only a small amount of food.

Fast-time police enquiries saw Guo located 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 injuries to his eyes after being punched by his captors and blindfolded tight. Police took him to hospital and thankfully he made a full physical recovery.

Detective Inspector Justine Jenkins, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “This was and remains a complicated case and I am pleased that Guo will be facing justice behind bars. We continue to work hard to ensure that others involved in this offence are also brought to justice.

“It was a fast-moving operation and we quickly established that the victim had been kidnapped in a vehicle which was using cloned plates. I would like to thank all the officers who were involved as their determination meant we quickly arrested Guo and the victim was released before any further harm could be inflicted.

“My thoughts are with the victim today and I commend his bravery. It must have been an incredibly frightening experience which will take a long time to recover from. Kidnappings are often complex to investigate and so I hope the news of this court result is reassuring.”