The court sentenced six others up to 15 years in prison, while five were acquitted (Representational)
Nice, France:
A French court on Wednesday sentenced to 18 years in jail an Italian man accused of orchestrating the kidnapping of an ageing hotel heiress in the French city of Nice.
Giuseppe Serena, 67, was among 13 people on trial over the plot against Jacqueline Veyrac, owner of the five-star Grand Hotel in Cannes and the ritzy Mediterranean seafront restaurant La Reserve in Nice.
Prosecutors accused Serena of seeking revenge for Veyrac s 2009 decision to terminate his contract to rent and manage La Reserve, which had run into financial difficulties.
Ex-soldier Phillip Dutton, 52, was handed a 14-year prison sentence in France
Dutton admitted being part of kidnapping of hotel magnate Jacqueline Veyrac
The 80-year-old was kidnapped in the centre of Nice on October 24, 2016
She was eventually released from a white van by a passer-by after two days
Veyrac s kidnappers had planned to ransom her for as much as £5million
DNA under fingernails link British ex-soldier to Riviera heiress kidnapping, court hears yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.