It's the story of a kidnapped model that caught the world's attention.
It was after this photoshoot outside her home
that questions were raised
about model Chloe Ayling's terrifying ordeal.
Her alleged kidnapped had sent a press release
to a tabloid newspaper,
and she went shopping with the man it's claimed abducted her.
So, how are you holding up?
I'd be better if I was busy.
Well, until we have a verdict, there's hesitancy,
you must be able to understand that.
Doesn't mean I have to like it.
It's the last week of the trial,
it's going to be a rocky few days with him testifying, but after...
After, everyone will see who he really is and what he did to me.
Absolutely.
He's a liar, and there's nothing I can do about it.
I need to be working.
I could reach out to some photographers...
Chloe, I'm here to shape a career for you,
but you know that's on the condition
that you don't return to glamour modelling.
There's nothing wrong with glamour. Did I say there was?
It's just not an industry that this agency works in.
I like it. I'm really good at it.
There is one thing on the horizon.
I can set up an introduction, if you're up for it?
You've denied all of your previous statements
and today you want to tell your version of events.
Yes.
Mm...
I met Chloe in March, 2015, on Facebook.
We exchanged messages.
And after that, we met in London, near where Chloe lives.
We went to ballet school and then we had dinner together.
After this meeting, did your friendship continue?
Yes, but only on Facebook.
When did the idea come up to organise a kidnapping?
Who came up with the idea?
First, Chloe wrote message that she'd seen a film
and it could be useful to make her famous.
She was not well known and she had financial problems.
Thanks so much for squeezing this meeting in.
I thought you'd be in Milan, at the trial.
Oh, she gave her evidence last summer.
And you didn't want to be there to hear what he's saying?
It's just more pathetic lies.
Well, we're not here to talk about him. We're here to discuss you.
Come on through.
This year's Celebrity Big Brother is called The Eye Of The Storm,
so we're looking for housemates who have been found themselves caught up
in a media scandal, which is why we think...
What happened to me isn't really a scandal.
It's more like a witch hunt.
Yes, but I think it's fair to say
there has been quite a lot of controversy.
Even now, with the trial.
Do you believe me?
Yes. Of course.
Which is why we're so keen to explore you being on the show.
For you, this wouldn't be about rehabilitating your reputation,
but reintroducing yourself.
Who's the Chloe Ayling you would like the public to get to know?
So, when we met in Paris, she was very surprised to see me.
I told her about my plan of faking her abduction,
but she didn't agree because she didn't like the place that I rented.
So you decided to come up with a new plan,
this time in Milan?
Yes. A better plan, which will look like a real kidnapping
and we could make a lot of money.
Did Chloe ever wear handcuffs?
Mm. Yes, she wore handcuffs to make photos,
but these pictures were never taken.
And were balaclavas ever used by you or by your brother?
No. The balaclavas never existed,
as we already knew each other,
so there was no need to hide my face.
How did you travel to the farmhouse in Turin?
All three of us got into the car and we drove there.
Where was Chloe in the car?
So, at the beginning, Chloe sat in the back,
but since I talked a lot with Chloe,
I made my brother swap so I could speak to her better.
What did you do together at the farmhouse?
So, we often went out together.
The first day, we went out to buy some necessary items.
Chloe didn't even have a toothbrush.
This first day, did Chloe walk into the store with you?
No, she usually stayed in the car.
Why did you decide to return to Milan on the...
..18th of July?
Mmm...
Even though we emailed her agent,
it looked like media are not interested in her,
so we both decided to put an end to it.
What was the purpose of it?
What did you think you were getting from this kidnapping?
Money?
Friendship?
From the beginning, Chloe did the math...
..how much money she can earn from this kidnapping.
And I was convinced that, since I'm preparing everything,
that she would share the money with me.
I have no further questions.
Yeah, but his story is bullshit.
I don't understand how can he lie like that.
Like, who even goes to ballet school on their first date?
We knew he'd hired a new lawyer and changed his defence,
but the intricate details of his testimony surprised us all.
Yeah, no-one believes it, though.
Right?
His story's full of holes
and the prosecution are going to show all of them.
This is a process, Chloe.
Everything will work out, OK?
Ciao.
Signor Pellegrino,
how far is your house, or your garden,
from the house Mr Herba rented?
Maybe...
..70, 80 metres.
And did you see the young man and the young woman?
Yes.
Did they look like people that knew each other?
They seemed like a couple.
He seemed kind.
Always greeted me with a wave.
LAWYER SPEAKS ITALIAN
No further questions.
INAUDIBLE
I work with my mother in a grocery store in Viu.
I remember that he came to buy some groceries, basic necessities.
How many times did he come to your store?
I cannot remember. Two or three times.
You reported, "He came four or five times."
A lot of time has passed.
Was he alone or with someone else?
Once, he was accompanied by the young woman.
I honestly thought they were a couple.
CAMERA CLICKS
REPORTER: Did you and Lukasz hatch the plan together?
Was he your boyfriend?
CAMERA CLICKING CONTINUES
Are you really willing to let an innocent man go to prison?
Chloe, you OK?
Yeah, I'm fine.
NOTIFICATION DING
Hello?
Hey. Erm...
..I'm not feeling so good.
I know that I need to meet the rest of the Big Brother team
this afternoon, but I was just wondering if I can push it.
Yeah, sure. No problem.
Look, if it's not for you, we can find you something else.
No, I just want to show them my best, and today's not good.
OK. Chloe...
..I saw the papers.
Is there anything I can do?
No, I'm OK.
I'm OK, thanks. All right.
THUDDING
THUDDING, DISTANT VOICES
MAN: Oi, stuck up bitch! What are you like, you slag!
SHE SIGHS
There she is!
Chloe...
Yeah, it's just the boys down the road again.
Do you want me to call the police?
No, it's OK, Mum. Go back to bed.
NOTIFICATION DING
REPORTER SPEAKS ITALIAN
TRANSLATION: Proceedings are being held in Milan
against the Polish national who ended up in prison last summer
accused of kidnapping a British girl.
This morning, the court watched the video deposition,
which was filmed in the place where she was held by her kidnapper.
Right now, an Italian court is trying to determine the truth
in this gripping case. And, tonight, it's your chance.
Is Chloe Ayling the victim or the mastermind
of an elaborate publicity scam?
Hi. Hiya. Chloe, two o'clock. Just a cut and blow dry.
Yep, head on up. Thanks.
Hi, Chloe. Hi.
Take a seat. Thanks.
Can I get you a drink?
Yeah. Could I get a tea and two sugars, please? Yeah, sure. Thanks.
INDISTINCT CHATTER
You know he said it was her idea. Stop it.
No. It was in the papers. He was saying it was like...
..you know, them two together. He said it was her idea.
I don't know who to believe but she's not exactly helping herself,
going on TV. Last thing I'd do
if I'd been through something like that.
It just doesn't make sense.
She loves posing for the cameras.
Mr Herba,
you sent Chloe's agent photos of Chloe with dilated pupils,
half naked, lying down?
Did you inject her or make her swallow ketamine?
No.
So the photos are fake? Chloe is posing?
Mmm...yes.
She was conscious.
But you did buy ketamine, Mr Herba?
Yes. I told Chloe that she needed to have a trace
when she speaks with police.
So Chloe injected herself?
Yes.
Where did she inject it?
No. It was, erm, the powder form.
She snorted it.
Your brother Michal is somehow involved in this?
Yes. At first he thought it's a real kidnapping.
How long did he believe it was real? Until you arrived at the farmhouse?
Yes.
Explain to me, on the way from Milan to the farmhouse, where was Chloe?
Is she in the boot of the car or seated with you?
At the beginning she was in the back...
Back where? Passenger side?
Yes, passenger side, and then she moved to the front, beside me.
And you were talking?
Yes.
And your brother doesn't ask why the person he's kidnapping
is sitting and chatting to his brother?
That is a little bit strange.
My brother already started asking questions,
but I told him everything is under control
and I knew the girl.
But you just said your brother believed the kidnapping
was real until your arrival at the farmhouse.
The doctor reports signs on wrists and ankles
resulting from the use of handcuffs.
Did Chloe wear handcuffs?
Yes.
The first day, when we were preparing for photos.
How do you explain the signs remained for seven days?
I don't have the slightest idea.
I'm wearing handcuffs today. I was wearing them.
I don't have any signs.
INAUDIBLE
We have emails exchanged between you and your brother.
I'm going to read some passages of an email he sent you,
titled Fucking Whore.
"I think that someone might have communicated the license plate
"of the car to the police.
"Plus, you will also have to clean it very well,
"especially the trunk.
"Her hair cannot be found.
"The most important thing, because I've noticed,
"when I spoke to her for a bit,
"I removed the handcuffs from her hands to rest."
How do you explain these emails
if what you have reported so far is true?
Mr Herba, do you want to respond to the court?
Your Honour,
I'd like to request a psychiatric report.
I believe - and pardon the nontechnical expression -
all the wheels are not in place.
Even the versions he tells are absurd.
Hello? Hey, how are you doing?
What's the delay?
The court has refused the...prosecutor's request
for the psychiatric report.
It means they believe him to be cognitive.
He can be held accountable for his crimes.
OK.
Lukasz's lies are unravelling, Chloe.
So, what's next?
Well, we have to wait for the judge's verdict.
FOOTSTEPS APPROACH
DOOR OPENS
In 2015,
Lukasz Herba requested to friend Chloe on Facebook.
She accepted.
No further communication via social media or phone calls
or in-person contact has been found.
In 2015,
Lukasz built the Black Death website.
This site included details about assassins for hire,
sex trafficking,
ransom abductions.
In April 2017,
Chloe met Lukasz under the pretence of a photoshoot in Paris,
cancelled at the last minute.
A month before Chloe's abduction,
Lukasz sent a message to Michal,
saying, "Buy a big travel bag.
"You know what for,
"so you know how big it should be."
CHLOE SCREAMS
Lukasz claims Chloe independently inhaled ketamine,
yet...
SHE SCREAMS
..a puncture wound was evident on her right wrist.
Biological analysis of blonde hair found in the trunk of the car
and bag matches Chloe Ayling's DNA profile.
The version provided by the defendant
regarding their journey to the farmhouse
is contradicted not only by his brother's emails,
but biological traces referable to Michal Herba
on both sets of handcuffs found in the farmhouse.
Emails between Lukasz and Michal
continued while Chloe was in captivity.
Michal writes,
"Do a good thing - buy pizza and eat it together."
Lukasz replies to his brother,
"Let's say that something very strong
"has sparkled between us."
A conversation between Lukasz and his mother from prison
further incriminates Michal.
In emails to Chloe's agent,
he said he was a French photographer,
who had grown up in Milan,
while in his online publications,
portrayed himself as a professional killer
and a former Mossad agent.
This attitude seems entirely in line with the abundant falsehood
Lukasz inundated Chloe Ayling with during her detention.
The accuser's story is inconsistent and outlandish.
The thesis of a false kidnapping is specifically
contradicted by the results of investigation.
Lukasz Herba is found guilty of kidnapping and extortion,
and sentenced to 16 years and nine months in prison.
He's been found guilty.
Lukasz has been found guilty for kidnapping and extortion.
I've just left the sentencing.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
I knew it.
Oh.
Oh. We did it, Chloe.
It's over. Oh, my God.
I can't believe it. Thank you.
He's going to be in prison for a long time.
Yeah.
SHE CHUCKLES
It's over.
I'll call you in a few days.
OK.
Bye.
NEWSREADER: A man has been found guilty of kidnapping
20-year-old British model Chloe Ayling
and holding her captive for six days in Italy.
Chloe Ayling says some people still doubt her story,
even though her kidnapper has been sentenced
to nearly 17 years in prison.
She says she's had to be detached to cope with the ordeal.
A crime which saw Herba jailed for 16 years and nine months
earlier this year.
You've not changed yourself,
the way you look. You won't. No.
And you won't change your job. No.
But from this, I am sure, I mean, I'd be astounded,
if, you know, things like Celebrity Big Brother
weren't knocking on your door
and all these kind of reality shows.
Thank you.
# Excuse me for a while
# While I'm wide-eyed
# And I'm so damn caught in the middle
# I excused you for a while
# While I'm wide-eyed
# And I'm so damn caught in the middle
# And a lion, a lion roars
# Would you not listen? #
My name's Chloe
and I'm a model from London.
You probably know me from being the victim of a kidnapping
in Italy last year.
People thought it was a publicity stunt,
but then again, publicity and glamour modelling,
I guess, can be linked.
And that's why people jump to a conclusion which is wrong.
I felt like I was constantly trying to defend myself
against the media headlines,
and that's not a nice thing to do
when you know you're telling the truth.
CHEERING
WOMAN SCREAMS REPEATEDLY
CHEERING FADES
CRICKETS CHIRRUP
CHEERING RESUMES
Just because you don't cry,
and you can put on a brave face for a camera,
doesn't mean you're not hurting inside.
# Have you wondered for a while?
# I have a feeling deep down
# You're caught in the middle
# Yeah, I might seem so strong
# Yeah, I might speak so long
# I've never been so wrong
# Yeah, I might seem so strong
# Yeah, I might speak so long
# I've never been so wrong. #