Dale Brook and Oliver Shipley secure convictions in International Organised Crime Kidnap Plot

Following an investigation named Operation Ethereal, led by the Major Crime Team at Humberside Police, Dale Brook, leading Oliver Shipley, prosecuted a complex conspiracy to kidnap and possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence, namely kidnap, at Hull Crown Court.

In January 2025, police were called to an Airbnb holiday let in Goxhill, North Lincolnshire, after the owner became concerned by suspicious activity captured on her CCTV system. The property had been booked under the pretence of a family stay.

The following day, police attended suspecting a burglary in progress. On arrival, those inside fled the property. Two males were detained and arrested at the scene, while a third escaped and was later arrested in Wolverhampton. On arrest, officers recovered a handwritten note bearing the word “TARGET” alongside a Hull address.

A search of the Airbnb revealed a “Black Duck” encrypted mobile phone, described during the trial as the next generation of EncroChat and often used by high ranking criminals, together with a kidnap kit containing rope, cable ties, duct tape, a hammer and nails. Officers also recovered a fully functional Beretta semi-automatic handgun, loaded with live ammunition, concealed inside a drawer beneath a bed.

The prosecution case was built on extensive forensic examination, mobile phone and call data and cell analysis, drug expert evidence, and detailed CCTV analysis. This evidence demonstrated that one of the males arrested was a foreign national who travelled from the Netherlands to the UK specifically to orchestrate the kidnap, recruiting known associates to assist with surveillance, logistics and execution.

Analysis of encrypted communications revealed an internationally coordinated plot, involving contacts linked to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, Russia, the Caribbean, Morocco and the Netherlands. The intended victim was to be abducted at gunpoint in the Hull area, having been accused by the organised crime group of stealing drugs or their proceeds.

Five defendants were convicted of their individual involvement and will be sentenced in January 2025.

Dale and Oliver were instructed by Zoe Nixon of the Crown Prosecution Service.