Five Charged in ‘Posh Spice’ Kidnap Bid Inquiry
LONDON (Reuters) – Police said Monday charges of theft and conspiracy to rob had been laid against five men arrested over an alleged plot to kidnap Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, the wife of England soccer captain David Beckham.
Nine people were seized by armed officers over the weekend after a tip-off from a Sunday newspaper that a gang intended to kidnap the pop star, who shot to fame in the 1990s as Posh Spice, by knocking her out with a chemical spray.
The News of the World tabloid said the gang had planned to demand a five million pound ($7.82 million) ransom after seizing Victoria and, if necessary, her sons Brooklyn, three, and two-month-old Romeo some time before the end of the year.
Police investigating the alleged plot said three men, Kosovan Azem Krifsha, Briton Joseph Rivas, and Romanian Rusu Sorin, had been charged with stealing a 60,000-pound jewelled turban belonging to Sotherby’s auction house.
Two other Romanians, Adrian Razvan Pasareanu and Alin Turcu, were charged with conspiracy to rob a Sotherby’s employee.
The men were due to appear at London’s Horseferry Road magistrates court later on Monday.
“Inquiries into an alleged conspiracy to kidnap continue and all five men are also on police bail to return to central London police stations on November 18 pending further inquiries into these matters,” Scotland Yard said in a statement.
Police said two men and a woman had been released on bail pending inquiries into matters unconcerned with the alleged theft or kidnap, and one woman had been released without charge.
The Beckhams beefed up security at their mansion, dubbed “Beckingham Palace,” in Hertfordshire, north of London, and at their home in Cheshire, northern England, following the arrests.
“The first role of a father and husband is to keep his family safe,” David Beckham said in a statement. “Because of this incident we will be reviewing our security arrangements.”
British newspapers on Monday carried pictures of police officers guarding the entrances to their homes.
“We have good security. But if people want to do this to my family how can you be 100 percent sure you’ll prevent it?” Victoria told the News of the World.
Victoria shot to stardom with the Spice Girls band that has sold about 40 million albums worldwide. But her solo career failed to take off and these days her soccer star husband is the one making headlines.
The Sunday Times’ annual “rich list” said David Beckham earned 15.5 million pounds over the past year, making him the 45th highest-paid Briton, one place above Queen Elizabeth.
Victoria has been the target of a kidnap scare before. The Beckhams hired a bodyguard in 2000 after reports police had uncovered a plan to snatch Victoria and Brooklyn and hold them for a ransom of one million pounds. No arrests were made.
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