Three men and a woman have been sentenced to a total of 25-and-a-half years in jail for their role in the false imprisonment of a man from Acton and the blackmail of his family.

The incident took place on 22 March 2020 when the hostage was held against his will at an address in Burlington Gardens, Ealing.

The attackers alleged that the victim had a £600 debt and proceeded to threaten and violently assault him in demand of repayment.

Videos of the assault, in which the victim received bruising to his body and face, were sent by the defendants to the victim's family.

Demands of up to £1,000 were made to the family via phone calls, in exchange for his release.

The defendants included Michael King, 60 of Birbeck Grove, formerly known to millions as Shadow from the 1990s' ITV game show Gladiators.

King and the other three defendants, Simon Batson, 39, and Donna Harman, 41 of Burlington Gardens and Otis Noel, 45 of Western Avenue, were found guilty to two counts of blackmail and false imprisonment at Isleworth Crown Court.

Batson was sentenced to jail for six years and nine months, King to six years and three months, Harman to four years and Noel to seven years and six months.

Detectives from the Met's Flying Squad discovered the victim's mobile phone, and the phone used to make the demands, during a property search in the investigation.

Detective Constable Glenn Peach, of the Met's Flying Squad, said: "The fear and panic the victim and his family went through at the hands of these attackers should not be underestimated.

"The false imprisonment, assault and severe threats will stay with those affected for a long time.

"At the very least, we hope the victim and his family will take some comfort in the fact that these offenders have been brought to justice.

"We are glad that the sentences handed out reflect the severity and inexcusable nature of the crimes that took place."