Kidnapper of Finnish heiress given 9-year sentence after admitting guilt during trial

Kidnapper of Finnish heiress given 9-year sentence

HELSINKI — A Finnish court has convicted a corporate lawyer of kidnapping an heiress and holding her captive for two weeks until her family paid a multimillion euro (dollar) ransom.

Juha Turunen was sentenced Friday to nine years in prison.

The Helsinki District Court also found him guilty of assault and embezzlement.

The 45-year-old Turunen had admitted during the trial that he kidnapped 26-year-old Minna Nurminen last year and held her captive at an apartment in Turku, western Finland. She was released unharmed and police recovered the ransom money.

Nurminen is the daughter of Hanna Nurminen, whose family is one of the richest in Finland, with a majority stake in elevator company Kone.

It was not immediately clear whether Turunen would appeal.