Four men from South London are among a gang convicted over the kidnapping, torture and blackmail of two French cryptocurrency millionaires in a 52-hour ordeal that prosecutors described as “cold, hard torture”.
The two victims, both men in their 20s, travelled to London in July 2025 and were targeted after allegedly flaunting a lavish lifestyle on social media, prosecutors said. They were ambushed in Shadwell, forced into a vehicle and taken to a flat in Canning Town, east London, where they were held for more than two days.
At Inner London Crown Court, jurors were told the men were stripped naked, bound with tape and cable ties, gagged with socks and repeatedly beaten. Boiling water was poured over their bodies, including their genitals, and cigarettes were stubbed out on their skin and in one victim’s mouth.
The gang threatened to cut off their genitals, force them to have sex with each other, and rape one of their girlfriends if they did not hand over cryptocurrency, the court heard. One victim was also allegedly made to drink toilet water and both were given almost no food while their captors ate from a 20-piece bucket of chicken, jurors were told.
The attackers demanded $150,000 (£117,000) in digital currency. One victim transferred about $30,000 (£23,400) before being released; the other feared he would be handed to another criminal group for further extortion.
Seven men were charged in connection with the case, while the alleged organiser, Ibrahim Mohamed, also known as “Nino”, remains overseas and has not been arrested.
At the end of the trial, the jury convicted:
- Gerson Borges, 24, of Camberwell, and Mohamed Osman, 29, of Finsbury Park, of conspiracy to blackmail and false imprisonment.
- William Adebisi, 19, of Romford, Essex; Julius George, 22, of Earlsfield, south-west London; Isaac Bakoya, 18, of West Norwood, south London; and Adel Sineen, 18, of Camberwell, of false imprisonment.
All were cleared of kidnap, possessing an imitation firearm and sexual assault charges. One defendant, Yasir Mohamed, 23, of Forest Gate, east London, was cleared of false imprisonment and other charges, with the jury unable to reach a verdict on conspiracy to blackmail; the Crown Prosecution Service has yet to decide whether he will be retried.
Sineen admitted dangerous driving after a high-speed chase in which the gang’s car crashed into a lamppost; he was cleared of false imprisonment and possessing a knife. George admitted carrying a knife, and Bakoya admitted false imprisonment but was cleared of possessing a knife.
The ordeal ended after a dramatic pursuit by the Met’s Flying Squad, who chased a car carrying Julius George, Isaac Bakoya and Adel Sineen through London before it crashed into a lamppost. Officers rescued one victim still bound with cable ties and bearing cigarette burns, the court heard.
Further arrests were made of those who had stayed in the flat, including Borges and Osman.
Osman, Adebisi, Borges, Bakoya, George and Sineen will be sentenced in September. Sineen has been on bail since his arrest, apart from periods in custody for repeatedly failing to attend court; the other defendants have been held in custody.
The case highlights a growing trend of “crypto wrench” attacks across Europe, in which criminals target individuals who publicly display wealth linked to digital assets. In a separate south London case in July 2026, three men were jailed for impersonating police officers to defraud eight victims of more than £4 million in cryptocurrency.
Anyone with information about similar crimes is urged to contact the Metropolitan Police via 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
