A SERIES of phone calls made to the partner of a businessman after his alleged kidnap have been played to a jury.

They heard recordings of calls received by Shirley Murtagh after she realised Alec Cunningham was missing.

Ms Murtagh has been giving evidence in the case of eight men - including one from Guide - who deny conspiracy to kidnap Mr Cunningham, the owner of a second hand shop on Plumbe Street, Burnley.

It is alleged that he was held at a Manchester house during a 10-hour ordeal and later dumped in a Stretford street. The prosecution say a £500,000 ransom was demanded and that money and jewellery was later handed over near the Trafford Centre before Mr Cunningham was released. His injuries included stab wounds, bruising to the face, and scald marks to his legs.

Ms Murgagh recalled events of June 17 last year. She said she went home to Todmorden Road, Burnley to find a sun lounger thrown over.

"Alec's car was there. Alec was gone," she said.

After this she received a number of calls on her mobile. There was a man's voice trying to explain to her that Alec owed them some money, she said.

The calls were played in court. She was heard to ask: "When am I going to see Alec, in half an hour?" This was followed by her saying: "I really don't know what all this is about. I can't believe it all."

Miss Murtagh said at a later stage: "This has really done me in, this has".

The jury also heard later conversations in which she said "Please, please, don't let me go through this. All I want is to see Alec back. That's all I want at the end of all this".

The eight men on trial are: Ajay Kaushal, 44, of Ripon Road, Stretford; Arfan Javed, 24, of Clitheroe Road, Longsight; Domenyk Lattlay-Fottfoy, 40, of Brantwood Terrace, Manchester; Jonathan Chadwick, 29, of Fountains Road, Stretford; Jeffrey Mason, 42, of Haslingden Road, Guide; Alexander Singh, 32, of Brompton Road, Stretford; Mohammed Imran, 21, of East Road, Longsight and Rambir Singhlanda, 32, of Whalley Range, Manchester.