Boy, 11, 'held to ransom'

An 11-year-old boy was kidnapped on his way home from school and held hostage by a gang for a £40,000 ransom, a court heard, writes Richard Edwards.

The child was bundled into a car by Ravideep Babu, 23, who threatened to have him killed if his parents did not deliver the money, it is claimed.

The boy, who cannot be named, was allegedly forced to use a "squalid" room where he was held as a lavatory.

Matthew Kennedy, prosecuting, said when the boy started whimpering, "Babu said people down below could kill him to keep him quiet".

Police rescued the boy in a raid on the house in Southall 24 hours later, Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court heard.

Babu, Amerjit Dhariwar, 30, and Gurnham Dhanoa, 22, all of Southall, deny kidnap charges. Ayisha Choudhry, 20, who was in the car at the time of the kidnap on 17 March, admits all three charges.

The trial continues.