Gang Jailed for Religious Hate Kidnap of Jewish Musician

📢 A London-based music producer was lured to west Wales where a gang beat and kidnapped him, handcuffing him to a radiator in a property they had rented for a week.

Swansea Crown Court heard the motivation for the plot was twofold – to extort money from Itay Kashti and because of the musician’s Jewish faith.

Judge Catherine Richards said anyone hearing the details would be “horrified”, adding: “The defendants justified their actions on the basis that because of his background Mr Kashti was less worthy of respect and compassion, an attitude that was utterly abhorrent to any right-thinking individual.”

Faiz Shah, 23, Mohammad Comrie, 23, and Elijah Ogunnubi-Sime, 20, were sentenced to eight years and one month in prison after pleading guilty to kidnap.

The court heard the gang carefully planned the attack using the Telegram messaging app, creating a fake email pretending to be from Polydor records inviting the victim to a “music camp” in Wales.

In an impact statement, Mr Kashti said that as an Israeli, the beating and kidnapping “felt like my own personal October 7.” He said as he was lying on the floor chained to a radiator, the events of October 7 in Israel were flashing through his mind.

The victim managed to escape after realising he was cuffed to a pipe from which he could free himself. He hid in bushes and called his wife while the gang fled the property.

Police later found the defendants hiding in nearby fields.

Speaking after the sentencing, Michael Cray, senior prosecutor with Crown Prosecution Service Cymru, said: “These defendants made detailed plans about what they were going to do, how to do it, and how to get away with the money. Despite their extensive plans, fortunately, they could not fulfil them.”