A man jailed for kidnapping a boy who allegedly made money with bitcoin | criminality

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A schoolboy who allegedly made money exchanging bitcoin has been kidnapped by a gang who demanded 10,000 for his safe return, a court has heard.

The 14-year-old, who cannot be named on legal grounds, was confronted with a takeaway in Bradford in May and put into a car.

After one of the kidnappers put his hand over the boy’s mouth, the child was beaten and forced into the back of a Toyota Auris.

Muhammed Khubaib, the car’s owner, activated the vehicle’s central locking as the boy sat between two men in the back.

Khubaib, 22, then hit him in the face with a glove containing sand, Bradford Crown Court has learned.

Prosecutor Laura McBride said the boy was told he would have to phone his mother and tell her to hand over 10,000 or his son would not come home.

The boy’s mother was called and described how the kidnappers demanded money while her son was crying, the court said.

McBride said it was agreed the mother would give the men 900 and left her home to hand over the money when Khubaib drove the Auris home.

The incident was then reported to the police and Khubaib was arrested a few days later.

He pleaded guilty to kidnapping and blackmail charges, but the court heard that the other three men involved had not been identified or prosecuted. Khubaib was sentenced to four years.

Bradford recorder Judge Richard Mansell QC said the boy was clearly targeted by the men.

He said they kidnapped him after seeing social media posts suggesting he made a reasonable amount of money trading bitcoin or other cryptocurrency.

The court heard the victim no longer lived in Bradford and Mansell said the offense had serious consequences for the youth and his family.

Speaking after the conviction, DC Paul Maxwell of West Yorkshire Police said: We welcome the sentence that has been handed down against Khubaib today in court. He pleaded guilty to the two counts he was charged with in May.

The victim, a young teenager, was vulnerable to criminal exploitation and Khubaib attempted to exploit him for money.

It was an incredibly distressing incident for the victim and the victim’s mother, but luckily the two were not injured during the incident and received help and support from the police and partner agencies.

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