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20
Dec 2023
Forbidden Corner owner released after kidnapping
North Yorkshire millionaire and owner of The Forbidden Corner, Colin Armstrong, has been freed after being kidnapped in Ecuador.
The 78-year-old was taken from his home in the Los Ríos territory in the early hours of Saturday, December 16.
A Columbian woman, believed to be his partner, was also reportedly kidnapped.
However, the General Commander of the Ecuadorian police, César Augusto Zapata Correa, said today on social media Mr Armstrong was found “on the road to Manabí”:
Nine people have been arrested in connection to the case, the commander added.
The Forbidden Corner also took to social media to confirm the news:
No further details, including the whereabouts of the woman also allegedly taken, have been revealed yet.
Mr Armstrong, who was formerly the UK’s honorary consul in Guayaquil, owns the 500-acre Tupgill Park Estate, near Leyburn.
It employs 50 people and receives around 150,000 visitors every year.
He is also the founder of Agripac, an Ecuadorian agricultural supplies company, which he founded in 1972.
Read more:
- Forbidden Corner owner Colin Armstrong 'kidnapped in Ecuador'
- Police appeal after 14-year-old injured in Harrogate collision
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