A former Liverpool soldier has gone on trial accused of being part of a plot to kidnap a wealthy hotel heiress and extort her fortune.
Jacqueline Veyrac, 80, the owner of the five-star Grand Hotel in Cannes, was bundled into the back of a car and held captive for two days.
Then 76, she was bound and gagged and a ransom note was later discovered, demanding 5m Euros for her release.
Her ordeal, in October 2016, began in the Riviera resort of Cannes, where she owns the famous hotel.
A passer-by came to her rescue and she escaped, with the ransom unpaid.
Ex-soldier Philip Dutton, from Liverpool, was allegedly part of the kidnap plot and is standing trial alongside 12 others.
The court case began on Monday in Nice, France, and is expected to last a number of weeks.
Dutton has previously claimed to be a British Army veteran who served for 18 years in numerous conflicts including in Afghanistan and Iraq.
It was previously reported how the 52-year-old suffered serious burns to a significant part of his body after his car rolled over an old World War Two mine.
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Also standing trial is Giuseppe Serena, the former manager of the Michelin-starred La Reserve restaurant in Nice who prosecutors believe had a festering grudge against Ms Veyrac after she terminated his contract in 2009.
It is claimed the ransom was so he could use the money to open up a new restaurant.
Another accused as part of the kidnap plot is Luc Goursolas, a former paparazzi who turned private detective, who goes by the nickname of "Tintin."
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Prosecutors said Ms Veyrac was subjected to violence, being blindfolded and gagged, threatened she would be killed if she made noise, and forced to drink a sedative.
Nice public prosecutor Jean-Michel Prêtre has told: "When she was found, she had injuries where she had been tied caused by her trying to free herself … she suffered a very real ordeal.”
