ed miliband
4th May 2013, 09:10
... also accused of stealing his £4k watch :grin:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10036228/Lap-dancers-accused-of-kidnapping-club-boss.html
Mandy-Laura Cool, 29, Charlotte Devaney, 34, Rachel Goodchild, 24, and Stephanie Pye, 30, are alleged to have enlisted the help of two male friends to recoup £42,000 owed to them by Curtis Woodman.
The women were hired to work as dancers in a room at the Embassy Club in Cheltenham during the four-day National Hunt horse racing festival in March last year.
It is understood that Mr Woodman, who runs a car sales business, had hired the room for use during the Festival.
But police raided the venue and closed it down, leaving Mr Woodman, 33, of Cheltenham, unable to pay the women the money they were owed, Gloucester crown court heard.
Six months later, on September 3, Mr Woodman was kidnapped, threatened and "subjected to various forms of violence" it is alleged. It is also said that he had a £4,650 Breitling watch and £60 stolen.
Prosecutor Martin Steen said: "There was, during race week of 2012, a premises in Cheltenham being used as a lap dancing club and some of the defendants were involved in the running of those premises.
"Unfortunately those premises came to close half way through the Festival.
"Some of the defendants were owed money by the victim. We say he was kidnapped and subjected to various forms of violence and threats. Items were taken from him in a robbery. It is not disputed by the Crown that the ladies in question were owed money by the victim."
Cool, of Southampton, Devaney, of London, and Goodchild, of Southampton all pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnap, along with brothers Robert Morris, 26, and Alexander Morris, 22, of Southampton.
In addition, the Morris brothers denied robbing Mr Woodman of a Breitling watch and £60 in cash.
Alexander Morris also denied having a Stanley knife, in a public place - the Northway Trading Estate at Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, where Mr Woodman worked.
No charges were put to Stephanie Pye, of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. She was said to be taking legal action to recover the money owed and is asking for the case against her to be dropped.
Audrey Archer, representing Goodchild, said that she was also taking civil action against Mr Woodman to recover the money owed. The other women were already taking similar action, she added.
All six were granted bail. The case has been adjourned to Bristol Crown Court on a date to be fixed.
Afterwards, Devaney, a DJ, actress and model who apeared in the British film How to Lose Friends & Alienate People with Simon Pegg, released a statement.
She said: "On behalf of myself and the other girls involved in this case, I would like to state categorically that we are not guilty of this charge.
"In actual fact, we have been the wronged party and are confident the truth will come out.
"We are looking forward to going to court later this year to prove our innocence."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10036228/Lap-dancers-accused-of-kidnapping-club-boss.html
Mandy-Laura Cool, 29, Charlotte Devaney, 34, Rachel Goodchild, 24, and Stephanie Pye, 30, are alleged to have enlisted the help of two male friends to recoup £42,000 owed to them by Curtis Woodman.
The women were hired to work as dancers in a room at the Embassy Club in Cheltenham during the four-day National Hunt horse racing festival in March last year.
It is understood that Mr Woodman, who runs a car sales business, had hired the room for use during the Festival.
But police raided the venue and closed it down, leaving Mr Woodman, 33, of Cheltenham, unable to pay the women the money they were owed, Gloucester crown court heard.
Six months later, on September 3, Mr Woodman was kidnapped, threatened and "subjected to various forms of violence" it is alleged. It is also said that he had a £4,650 Breitling watch and £60 stolen.
Prosecutor Martin Steen said: "There was, during race week of 2012, a premises in Cheltenham being used as a lap dancing club and some of the defendants were involved in the running of those premises.
"Unfortunately those premises came to close half way through the Festival.
"Some of the defendants were owed money by the victim. We say he was kidnapped and subjected to various forms of violence and threats. Items were taken from him in a robbery. It is not disputed by the Crown that the ladies in question were owed money by the victim."
Cool, of Southampton, Devaney, of London, and Goodchild, of Southampton all pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnap, along with brothers Robert Morris, 26, and Alexander Morris, 22, of Southampton.
In addition, the Morris brothers denied robbing Mr Woodman of a Breitling watch and £60 in cash.
Alexander Morris also denied having a Stanley knife, in a public place - the Northway Trading Estate at Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, where Mr Woodman worked.
No charges were put to Stephanie Pye, of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. She was said to be taking legal action to recover the money owed and is asking for the case against her to be dropped.
Audrey Archer, representing Goodchild, said that she was also taking civil action against Mr Woodman to recover the money owed. The other women were already taking similar action, she added.
All six were granted bail. The case has been adjourned to Bristol Crown Court on a date to be fixed.
Afterwards, Devaney, a DJ, actress and model who apeared in the British film How to Lose Friends & Alienate People with Simon Pegg, released a statement.
She said: "On behalf of myself and the other girls involved in this case, I would like to state categorically that we are not guilty of this charge.
"In actual fact, we have been the wronged party and are confident the truth will come out.
"We are looking forward to going to court later this year to prove our innocence."