The Latest: Italian court convicts man over kidnap of model

MILAN – The Latest on the trial of a man accused of kidnapping a British model in Italy (all times local):

2:35 p.m.

An Italian court has convicted a Polish man of kidnapping a British model for ransom and sentenced him to 16 years and nine months in prison.

Prosecutors in the case of Lukasz Herba said Chloe Ayling was drugged and kidnapped when she showed up at a Milan address for a modeling job, then held for six days at a farmhouse in the neighboring Piedmont region before being released at the British consulate in Milan.

Defendant Herba, 30, had claimed Ayling agreed to the scheme to boost her career.

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8:50 a.m.

The trial of a Polish man charged with the kidnapping of a British model for ransom is reaching its close.

Prosecutors and defense are making their final arguments Monday in the sensational case that raised the specter of auctions of young women on encrypted websites. A verdict could come later in the day.

Prosecutors say British model Chloe Ayling was drugged and kidnapped when she showed up at a Milan address for a modeling job, then held for six days at a farmhouse in the neighboring Piedmont region before being released at the British consulate in Milan.

Defendant Lukasz Herba, 30, claims Ayling agreed to the scheme to boost her career. In court testimony, Herba said he invented a group he presented as behind deep-web auctions of women.