Chloe Ayling

Abduction

In March 2017, Phil Green, a lawyer and part-time DJ who ran the Supermodel Agency in London, arranged a photoshoot for Ayling in Paris that was later cancelled. Łukasz Herba, a Polish computer programmer from Oldbury, West Midlands, using the alias Andre Lazio, devised a plan for a new shoot. In July 2017, Lazio contacted Green to propose a photoshoot in Milan on 12 July. When Ayling failed to return to the UK that night, her mother contacted Green.

The next morning, Green received a ransom email from an alias MD, purportedly from The Black Death Group, demanding €300,000 or Ayling would be auctioned as a sex slave on the dark web. Green contacted the UK consulate in Milan. Italian police visited the address, which was not a photo studio, and found some of Ayling's clothes. Without further evidence, the investigation stalled.

On 17 July, Ayling and Herba appeared together at the Milan consulate, and suspicion fell on them after CCTV footage showed them together in public.

Convictions

During the trial, Italian prosecutors presented evidence that Łukasz Herba injected Chloe Ayling with ketamine, leaving a visible injection mark and traces of the drug in her hair. He then handcuffed her, stuffed her into a holdall bag, and transported her in the boot of a car to a house in Viù, near Turin. Throughout the ordeal, Herba used his alias "MD" to feign friendship with Ayling, orchestrating both the kidnapping and a fake auction. Herba’s defense claimed he had fallen in love with her and staged the scandal to advance her career.

On June 11, 2018, he was found guilty of kidnapping and sentenced to 16 years and 9 months in prison, stating in his closing remarks that the film "By Any Means" inspired him. His brother, Michał Konrad Herba, was also arrested. Despite denying involvement, email evidence and his hair found in the car boot led to his extradition from the UK to Italy in October 2018. Michał was convicted in 2019 and received a 16-year, 8-month sentence.

In 2020, Łukasz’s sentence was reduced to 12 years and 1 month, while Michał’s was cut on appeal in 2021 to 5 years and 8 months.

Aftermath

The Black Death Group, an alleged Eastern European dark web organization that changed its web addresses frequently, gained attention through this case. Interpol investigated the group in 2015. The group posted images of captives for sale, but these were later found to be taken from a pornographic film, so most consider them fake. Both Ayling and Green wrote memoirs about the events.

British media widely suspected the kidnapping was a publicity stunt, and Ayling faced criticism for using the incident to advance her career and finances. In April 2023, BBC Three announced a six-part drama called Kidnapped, written by Georgia Lester with Ayling’s approval, which aired on 14 August 2024. In August 2025, BBC Three broadcast a three-part documentary, Chloe Ayling: My Unbelievable Kidnapping. In its third episode, Ayling received a formal autism diagnosis, which she believed fueled further speculation about her involvement.