Five men convicted in London over kidnapping of French crypto holders

A London court has convicted five men of kidnapping and false imprisonment in a case involving two French cryptocurrency asset holders, according to Techub News, which cited Decrypt. The ruling was handed down by Inner London Crown Court. Prosecutors said the group abducted the two victims in London in July last year, held them for 52 hours, and demanded $150,000. The victims were forced to transfer $30,000 during the ordeal. Prosecutors also said the attackers had identified the victims after they displayed their wealth prominently on social media. During the captivity, the victims were beaten and scalded with boiling water, according to the prosecution. Police later traced the location where the victims were being held through a phone left in a vehicle by a friend of the victims. All five defendants have now been convicted, while the alleged ringleader who planned the attack remains at large. The report described the case as a rare violent crypto-asset robbery prosecution in the UK that ended in convictions without the victims appearing in court to testify.