This is the moment 16 hooded men jumped out of a white van and kidnapped a terrified groom-to-be - for a prank.



Wearing balaclavas, brandishing baseball bats and setting off smoke bombs the stags surrounded the car Ollie McAninch, 33, was driving down a quiet country lane with his fiancee Clair Hart.



They stopped the car, pulled him out and dragged him to the ground where they bound and gagged him before bundling him into the back of a van.









As the 'attack' started Clair pretended to scream with terror but as soon as Ollie was dragged from the car she started to laugh at what was happening to her fiance.



Unfortunately for the management consultant the 'gag' didn't end there. Terrified Ollie was ordered to change into a Guantanamo-style jumpsuit and driven more than 100 miles to the Devon countryside where he was stripped and told to wear a lime-green Borat-style mankini.







[Do you live in a 'crap town'? Prepare to be surprised by the latest nominations for the dubious honour

]







He was then handed a rusty bike and map and told to cycle ten miles to the venue for his stag party - an outdoor activity 'boot camp' centre.



The stress of the ordeal caused Ollie to suffer shingles, an illness often found in combat veterans, and he was told to keep away from Clair for a month.



Fortunately for both of them he recovered in time for the wedding and the pair tied the knot last Saturday in front of 130 guests.



















Story continues



Ollie, from Bath, Somerset, said: "I was absolutely terrified. We were stuck behind this van that had 'Turkish bailiff' printed on the back.



"Then all of a sudden, all these men dressed in black balaclavas burst out of the bushes and dragged me out of the car.



"They put me in handcuffs, slapped me around a bit and threw me into the back of the van. I have never been so scared in my entire life - I didn't know what was going to happen. I was petrified with fear."



The gang struck on a country lane outside Bath as Ollie headed out on what he thought was a day trip with Clair.







[A real smashing pumpkin! Gardener's monster crop weighs in at 31 STONE]









It was the week before the planned date of his stag do - but unbeknown to him his stags had brought the date forward.



The prank was planned with military-style precision - including codenames and a 14-page plan for the 'elite strike team' on how to apprehend the 'target'.











Called "Operation Haggis", the plan detailed a "non-elite strike team to intercept and kidnap the subject and deliver safely to rendezvous point".















The plan said: "Balaclavas are to remain on for maximum effect and 'fear factor'



"Supersoakers and other non-'pro' equipment is to remain hidden in bags until the subject has been removed from his vehicle.



"Once subject is secured, he is to be dressed in an orange jumpsuit, restrained with handcuffs and 'bagged.' Subject will then be transported to Stag Party RV point."







[ Selfless paralysed man gives up chance to walk again - by donating £20,000 to disabled five-year-old]







Ollie had to endure the experience for more than two hours until his stags told him the whole thing was a joke.



He added: "By the time I had worked out they were my friends, I still had to get into that ridiculous costume and cycle along busy roads on a bike that was barely fit for purpose.



"I've cycled to Spain and from Land's End to John O'Groats, but that was by far the most difficult ride of my life - I was still shaking so much."



















A week after the do Ollie began feeling sore and itchy - and was diagnosed with shingles, a skin and nerve disease brought on by stress and is a form of the chicken pox virus.



He said: "When I got the diagnosis my heart sank. They told me I would have to stay away from Clair until I got better and I was really worried I would miss the big day."



"I have no doubt that fake kidnapping caused me to develop shingles. I'm usually such a calm and placid guy - but the stress of that ordeal was so much I thought I was going to have a heart attack.



"The shingles was excruciating - Claire never had chicken pox as a child, so I've been quarantined from her for most of the last month because I was so contagious.



"We had to sleep in separate bedrooms."



Despite the ordeal Ollie still invited his friends to the wedding.



He said: "I've not forgiven my friends, I've just logged it for future vengeance.



"A few of them have their own weddings coming up, so I'm going to have to come up with something spectacular.



"I've got a really close group of friends who are always playing pranks on each other - I've dressed a mate up in a bondage suit and tied him to a lamppost in the middle of Newquay before."



One of the organisers, electrician Kevin Harding, said: "A lot of time and planning went into this.



"Ollie is a great guy, but we wanted to get him back for all the pranks he's pulled on us over the years.



"It was hilarious - he was so terrified he was about to shake out of his skin. We didn't mean to give him shingles, but it was worth it."



































































