Three men sentenced for kidnapping music producer

Three men who kidnapped a London music producer by luring him to a cottage in West Wales have been sentenced at Swansea Crown Court.

Faiz Shah, 23, Mohammad Comrie, 23, and Elijah Ogunnubi-Sime, 20, planned the crime on a Telegram group chat, where they discussed what items they would need to commit the crime and how to launder the money they intended to extort from the victim.

A cottage was rented and plans were made for escape routes if the police arrived.

The victim was a London music producer and composer, who the men had invited to a music workshop in August 2024, at a cottage near Llanbydder.

A taxi was sent to collect the victim from his home address and bring him to the cottage. When the taxi arrived at the cottage on 26 August 2024, the victim and taxi driver entered the property and were immediately attacked by the three masked men.

The taxi driver managed to escape back to his vehicle but the victim was unable to escape and suffered extensive facial injuries as well as bodily bruises. 

The victim was handcuffed to a radiator but was able to slip the chains from the pipe and flee the property, hiding in nearby bushes where he phoned his wife who alerted the police. 

The Crown Prosecution Service presented strong evidence which resulted in all three defendants entering a guilty plea.

Michael Cray, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “These defendants made detailed plans about what they were going to do, how to do it, and how to get away with the money.

“Despite their extensive plans, fortunately, they could not fulfil them. 

“This must have been truly terrifying for the two victims, who had no idea they were walking into a trap. 

“We would like to thank them for supporting this prosecution and hope the fact these offenders have been brought to justice will help them move forward with their lives.”

The defendants were sentenced on 14 March 2025 at Swansea Crown Court where all three received eight years and one month imprisonment each.