Five men face rare hostage-taking charge in Turku

Five men are accused of taking a hostage in 2022, as a trial opened on Friday at the Southwest Finland District Court in Turku, Yle reports. The charges also include aggravated violation of domestic peace and assault.

The prosecution alleges that the men entered a complainant’s home without permission and began assaulting him. They allegedly had a firearm and a stun gun, damaged property in the home, punched and kicked the man, hit him with a flowerpot and used the stun gun on his neck.

After the assault, the defendants allegedly tied up the man and took him in a motorhome. From the vehicle, they contacted another person and demanded 15,000 euros for his release, according to the prosecution.

The man was driven around Salo, Turku and Paimio for about nine hours. Relatives and friends raised 5,500 euros, which the alleged perpetrators received at a service station in Halikko before releasing him. Cash also remained in the defendants’ possession, the prosecution says.

The defendants took part in the hearing remotely. One complainant was in court, while another had been ordered to attend with police assistance but was not present when proceedings began. The alleged hostage-taking took place in 2022.