A kidnapper who snatched a businessman from a golf course in Hertfordshire has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Tianfu Guo, 35, was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for conspiracy to kidnap and 12 years imprisonment for conspiracy to blackmail, which will run concurrently, at St Albans Crown Court on today (April 29).

On October 24 last year, the victim, a man in his 30s, was playing golf at Brocket Hall in Welwyn Garden City when a group of five men pointed a gun at him, hit him in the face and bundled him into a car.

The victim was taken to a holiday home that his captors had rented in Surrey, and placed inside a cage that was so small he could not stand up or stretch his legs out. The gang also demanded that the victim pay them $15 million in bitcoin.

He was held captive for 30 hours, not allowed to use the toilet and he was only allowed to eat a small amount of food.

Guo was located in Chinatown, London, where he was arrested at 9.41pm on October 25. An SD card which was recovered from the 35-year-old's vehicle showed surveillance video footage of the victim.

Just over an hour after Guo’s arrest, the victim was released. He had injuries to his eyes after being punched by his captors and blindfolded tight.

He was driven for around 90 minutes to Cobham in Surrey, where he knocked on the front door of the closest house he could find and asked for help. The resident helped him to call a taxi to get back home, where police were waiting.

He was taken to hospital and thankfully made a full physical recovery.

"This was and remains a complicated case and I am pleased that Guo will be facing justice behind bars," said Detective Inspector Justine Jenkins, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit.

"We continue to work hard to ensure that others involved in this offence are also brought to justice.

"It was a fast-moving operation and we quickly established that the victim had been kidnapped in a vehicle which was using cloned plates.

"I would like to thank all the officers who were involved as their determination meant we quickly arrested Guo and the victim was released before any further harm could be inflicted.

"My thoughts are with the victim today and I commend his bravery. It must have been an incredibly frightening experience which will take a long time to recover from. Kidnappings are often complex to investigate and so I hope the news of this court result is reassuring."