‘Kidnap’ of model Chloe was stunt to make her famous lawyer tells court

BRITISH model Chloe Ayling’s claim to have been kidnapped in Italy was challenged by a lawyer yesterday.

The advocate representing the alleged snatcher said: “This whole story was concocted.”

Polish-born Lukasz Herba, 30, who lives in the UK, is accused of kidnapping glamour model Chloe, 20, injecting her with ketamine and stuffing her in the boot of a car before taking her as a captive to a remote mountain cottage in Italy.

Police say he tried to sell Chloe, from Coulsdon, south London, on line for 300,000 euros (£260,000), pretending to be from an organised criminal group called Black Death.

Herba has been behind bars since July after he was arrested after driving Chloe to the British consulate in Milan.

But his lawyer Katia Kolakowska, said yesterday: “He feels he was tricked. This was not the agreement. She was supposed to become famous and do lots of interviews and give him some of the money.”

The model’s agent Mark Cowne called the claims “interesting although a little hard to believe” and added: “At this time, Chloe will not be making any statements.”

Doubts arose over Chloe’s story after it was revealed that she shared a bed with her “kidnapper” and went shoe shopping with him during her alleged captivity.

Ms Kolakowska yesterday asked judges in Milan to order Chloe to return to Italy to answer questions as “new facts had come to light.”

But the court rejected her request saying the model had already given her witness statement.

Chloe told police she first met Herba in Paris earlier this year.

But Ms Kolakowska said outside the court, that she has proof that the pair set up the “kidnap” as a scam.

She added: “This whole story was concocted so that Chloe would be successful in her career.

“There is evidence, Facebook messages and other social media, that show they were in contact since 2015.

“They came up with the idea together and Lukasz arranged everything to make it look like a real kidnap, the masks, the apartment, the bag.”

Investigators have rejected the suggestion that the model plotted her kidnap. A source said Chloe may have been naive and is only 20 but “if we had the minimum doubt, Chloe would be on trial too” .