Men charged over Lily Allen's kidnap plot

4 Sep 2008 

Five men have been charged in connection with the kidnapping of one of LILY ALLEN's friends.
 
Allen's pal, named only as Charlie, was allegedly abducted from his workplace in London in a plot to extort money from his loved ones - leaving the Smile singer "terrified" for his safety.
 
He was taken from a sports shop in West London on 2 August (08), along with a co-worker, after an armed gang raided the store and forced the pair into the trunk of a car.
 
The criminal gang subsequently contacted the pair's families, asking for a ransom of $133,600 (£75,000).
 
They were held hostage for seven days, but eventually rescued by police. Allen praised the officers involved, saying, "I just want to thank the Met Police. They did an incredible job. He was in the boot of a car being driven around London before he was found. It was all over money."
 
Six men were arrested in connection with the incident, and four have now been charged with conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to blackmail and false imprisonment. A fifth man was charged with two offences of kidnap and one of robbery, while a sixth was released on bail pending further inquiries.