WORLD BRIEFING / NEW ZEALAND
A Chinese real estate agent who kidnapped a 5-year-old girl and demanded a $300,000 ransom was sent to prison today for nine years.
Deng Deqiong, 26, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and unlawfully carrying off Cina Ma from the sidewalk outside her home as she rode her bike with friends last July in the northern city of Auckland. The court heard that Deng planned the kidnapping carefully, holding the child for five days before police found her locked in a wardrobe in a vacant house.
High Court Justice Judith Potter said the kidnapping was a cowardly and cruel act that had caused the victim post-traumatic stress disorder and hugely affected her family, prompting them to leave New Zealand.
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