British model Chloe Ayling has thanked those who "believed in me from the beginning" after a Polish man was jailed for kidnapping her.

Lukasz Herba held Chloe Ayling captive for six days in a farmhouse near Turin in Italy, after abducting her during what she thought would be a photo shoot last July.

He was arrested after releasing her at the British consulate, and has now been sentenced to 16 years and nine months in jail.

Following her release, Ms Ayling said she was abducted after turning up at a property in Milan for a modelling job.

One officer giving evidence at the trial in Italy described how she suffered "physical violence including being drugged, handcuffed and brutally transported inside a suitcase".


Ms Ayling, of Coulsdon, south London, has always insisted she has told the truth about her captivity.

She told police she never tried to escape because she was terrified and believed Herba's threats that he was part of a bigger criminal gang that was watching her constantly.

In a post on Instagram, Ms Ayling said justice had been "served" by "punishing the kidnapper with an almost 17 year jail sentence for what he has done to me".

"Shame on all of the ignorant people who doubted what had happened to me and think they know more than the Italian authorities," she added.

Image: Lukasz Herba has been jailed for the kidnapping

Herba had threatened to auction her on the internet while trying to extort £230,000 from her agent Phil Green.

Herba said he was in love with Ms Ayling and the pair had concocted the scheme together to boost her career, and he invented an online group behind dark web auctions of women.

"I never hurt the girl. I was not violent with her," the 30-year-old said.

"If she felt forced verbally in any way, I am very sorry. But it certainly was not as Chloe has described.

"I was in love and I was hoping that once her fame took off that she would repay me with feelings and we would share the money."

Evidence shown to the Milan court featured the model leading police to the property where she was held, and the town where she went with Herba to buy shoes and food.

In his closing arguments, prosecutor Paolo Storari said Ms Ayling had been drugged with ketamine, stuffed inside a suitcase and taken to the farmhouse where she was handcuffed to the furniture for at least the first night.

Investigators said the behaviour she exhibited during her capture was consistent with the effects of the drug.

'Victim' returns to 'kidnap' house

Ms Ayling's agent Adrian Sington told Sky News: "Chloe is over the moon by the verdict.

"Her career has been hugely affected by this, we've turned down paid modelling deals since her kidnap and she feels she can no longer work in the industry as she has lost all trust in that world."

Ms Ayling's lawyer, Francesco Pesce, said he would seeking half a million euros (£441,000) in compensation in separate proceedings, while conceding it was unlikely Herba would be able to pay.