THE MUSIC producer lured to West Wales and brutally assaulted in a staged kidnap plot has spoken publicly for the first time, telling The Guardian of the terror he faced and the long road to recovery.

Itay Kashti, 45, was beaten, handcuffed, and left bleeding in a remote cottage in Carmarthenshire in August 2024, after being tricked into travelling from London for what he believed was a professional music camp. He said he feared he would never see his wife or children again.

“I thought: ‘This is it. I’m going to die and this is the end of my story.’ I felt it was the final scene from a movie. I was thinking about my children,” he told The Guardian’s Steven Morris in an emotional interview.

Three men – Faiz Shah and Mohammad Comrie, both 22, and Elijah Ogunnubi-Sime, 20 – were each sentenced last week to eight years and one month in custody after admitting kidnap at Swansea Crown Court.

The court heard the group deliberately targeted Mr Kashti because they believed he was wealthy and, according to the judge, possibly because of his Jewish heritage. “I was stigmatised and dehumanised,” said Mr Kashti. “The assumption was that a rich Jew lives in London, works in music, he must have money.”

He described how the men had posed as representatives of a music label and invited him to a songwriting camp in Wales. At first, the offer seemed legitimate. “They sounded a little bit green but they didn’t sound suspicious in any way,” he said. “The arrangement was that they would send a car to pick me up. They did mention I didn’t have to bring anything, but I took my Martin acoustic guitar.”

Upon entering the cottage in Llanybydder, he was ambushed. “Three guys, all masked, jumped at me and started hitting and kicking me on the head,” he said. “They said they were going to kill me. They chained me, handcuffed me to a pipe that came out of the radiator.”

Bloodied and terrified, he lay on the floor trying to make sense of what had happened and why. “I live a peaceful life and I’m not a political person. There was no reason to go for a person like myself.”

He later learned the attackers had panicked and fled. Using sheer determination, Mr Kashti freed himself, grabbed his phone – and his guitar – and escaped. “I didn’t want to leave the guitar. I dragged it along,” he said, showing bloodstains still visible on the case.

He hid in bushes and called his wife and police. Officers arrived within 20 minutes and launched a major operation, eventually finding the three men hiding in fields nearby. The response included a helicopter and specialist search teams.

Mr Kashti, originally from Israel and now a UK citizen, was left with serious facial injuries. His eyes were so swollen that he said he looked like a boxer after a brutal match. Doctors in Wales and at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London helped with his physical recovery.

But the emotional scars are taking longer to heal. “We all have a safety bubble. And that safety bubble has been burst for me,” he said. “When new people reach out, I have to be more vigilant. I’m more conscious of trouble that could emerge, danger that could happen. I guess it’s going to take me some time until I feel fully settled.”

Mr Kashti said most people didn’t know what he had been through. “You can’t just break it in a conversation and move on.”

Despite everything, he holds no hatred for his attackers. “I hope that the jail experience will turn them into better people. If they do turn into better people, then it was worth locking them up.”

His bravery in speaking out has been praised by supporters, including members of the Community Security Trust (CST), who have supported him since the attack. Police have also recognised his strength throughout the investigation and trial process.

The Herald understands the gang hoped to extort a million-pound ransom, though the plot quickly unravelled. The case has shocked both the music industry and the wider community, with many calling for greater awareness of the risks posed by online impersonation and targeted hate crimes.

THE STENA LINE ferry service between Fishguard and Rosslare has faced a wave of cancellations this weekend, leaving many passengers stranded or forced to find alternative travel arrangements.

A combination of technical issues aboard the Stena Nordica and poor weather conditions has disrupted multiple crossings since Saturday (Apr 5), with the vessel currently unable to depart Fishguard until tomorrow afternoon (Monday, Apr 7).

The first signs of trouble emerged on Saturday when the 2:00pm sailing from Fishguard was delayed and ultimately cancelled. As a result, the evening return trip from Rosslare was also scrapped.

Stena Line advised affected passengers that they could rebook or divert to the Holyhead to Dublin route. Some opted to remain on board the Nordica in the hope that the vessel would sail at 1:30am on Sunday (Apr 6), but that service was also cancelled.

Among those caught up in the disruption was ferry enthusiast George Holland, who had boarded for a planned day trip. “There were 96 cars on board and lots of families getting away for the school holidays,” he told The Herald. “The crew were under pressure but stayed upbeat and professional. They did a fantastic job of keeping everyone informed and comfortable.”

Initially, Sunday’s 2:00pm departure was expected to operate as scheduled, but worsening weather led to its cancellation. Meanwhile, tonight’s 7:30pm sailing from Rosslare has also been pulled, this time due to the technical fault.

Passengers have since been rebooked onto Irish Ferries’ Pembroke Dock to Rosslare service.

As of now, the Stena Nordica is set to resume operations from Fishguard on Monday afternoon, but Stena Line’s booking site shows that sailing as fully booked.

Passengers seeking updates or wishing to amend bookings are encouraged to visit the Stena Line website.

AT 3:19pm on Saturday (April 5), St Davids’ all-weather lifeboat was launched to assist a paddle boarder reported to be struggling in offshore conditions near Abereiddy.

Shortly after the volunteer crew launched, HM Coastguard confirmed that the individual had made it safely ashore and the lifeboat was stood down.

Offshore winds can catch out even the most experienced paddler. Always check the wind and weather conditions carefully before heading out to sea.