Twist in the Case of Allegedly Kidnapped Model

Chloe Ayling admits she went shoe shopping with alleged captor
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 8, 2017 11:50 AM CDT
Model Admits She Went Shoe Shopping With Alleged Captor
In this image made from video taken on Sunday, model Chloe Ayling speaks with the media outside of her house in Surrey, England.   (RAI via AP)

The talent agent who sent British model Chloe Ayling to Italy, where she says she was kidnapped and was to reportedly be auctioned on the dark web as a sex slave, has hit out at people questioning her story. Phil Green of Supermodel Agency says, "I can assure everybody that it was real and very frightening for all concerned." But Ayling broke down in tears when confronted by investigators with a witness who said Ayling had gone to buy shoes with the alleged kidnapper. According to a transcript of Chloe Ayling's deposition obtained Tuesday by the AP, the 20-year-old model initially said she was held at a remote farmhouse for six days without ever leaving. But on the second day of questioning, she was confronted with witness testimony that said she and the main suspect had bought shoes for her the day before her release.

The Guardian reports she also allegedly went grocery shopping with him. She told investigators that she couldn't give a "reasonable explanation" about why she had omitted the shoe shopping, but she said she considered the alleged kidnapper to be her best chance at freedom. Police have arrested a suspect, Lukasz Pawel Herba. Green said Tuesday that Ayling went to Milan in July for a photo shoot that seemed legitimate. He said the person who made the booking had "a website, previous pictures, details of his studio, details of what the shoot was going to be, times, locations, fee—everything." But the day after his client was due to return, Green says he received a ransom demand for $300,000. Ayling was released at the UK Consulate in Milan on July 17. CBS News reports it's believed that no ransom was paid. (More kidnapping stories.)

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