Influencer arrested for planning the kidnapping and robbing of ex-boyfriend's brother by fake delivery drivers
An influencer who hired men to kidnap, beat and rob the brother of her ex-boyfriend has been arrested.
Aurélie Preston, aged 32, was arrested after the sibling of her former partner was beaten up by fake delivery men who stormed in to his his house, beat him, tied him up and stole his belongings. It is alleged that this was organised by the influencer. Prosecutors claim the violent robbery occurred on Tuesday June 25 in Versailles, France, when the unnamed man opened his door to who he thought were "flower delivery" men.
The fake delivery man is then said to have thrown himself at the man, however, helped by two accomplices. It's said he was then threatened with a handgun and beaten up.
The assailants then tied him to a chair, but he somehow managed to free himself from the rope and escape through an open window. He had two designer watches stolen in the incident which were reportedly worth £21,500.
After an investigation, police allegedly found that Preston had organised the attack. A close friend of Preston and a man suspected of participating in the attack were also detained by police, according to local media.
Preston is being held police ahead of an initial court hearing. The influencer is charged with "armed robbery in an organised gang", "kidnapping", "intentional violence" and "criminal association".
She is well-known as she starred in several French reality TV shows and then went on to become a singer. She has more than 652,000 followers on Instagram. She has spoken out against her ex-boyfriend on social media, claiming their lives together were "hell".
The popular French shows she featured on included Les Marseillais en Thaïlande and La villa des cœurs brisés (The Marseillais in Thailand and The Villa of Broken Hearts). She also wrote a book called "Brisee" (Broken) in which she details how she overcome personal challenges to find professional success. An Amazon synopsis describes the book as "full of hope".
It says: "In this story, she recounts the most difficult periods of her life: from drugs to harassment, from her abusive mother to the shocking loss of her father. A message full of hope, despite a journey that could not be more difficult."
According to her Instagram, her next plans were to open her own news agency.