A man has been found guilty of kidnapping a wealthy businessman from a golf club in Hertfordshire and demanding a $15 million bitcoin ransom.

Tianfu Guo, of no fixed abode, was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to blackmail at St Albans Crown Court today (April 19).

He was found not guilty of conspiracy to possess an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

The jury heard that at around 4.10pm on Tuesday, October 24 last year, the victim was playing golf when he was approached by a group of men who pointed a pistol at him and bundled him into a black Audi Q7.

The vehicle, which had cloned plates, sped away from the scene, and a police investigation was immediately launched by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit.

The victim was taken to a holiday home that his captors had rented in Thursley, Surrey, and placed inside a cage that was so small he could not stand up or stretch his legs out.

He was not allowed to use the toilet and he was only allowed to eat a small amount of food - some dried beef and biscuits on the day he was taken, and an apple and milk the next day.

A ransom of $15 million to be paid in bitcoin was demanded, and the captors also began to assault the victim by hitting his leg with an object.

Guo was located in the Chinatown area of London, where he was arrested at 9.41pm on October 25. An SD card which was recovered from the 35-year-old's vehicle showed surveillance video footage of the victim.

An hour after Guo's arrest, the victim was led to a vehicle and driven for around 90 minutes to Cobham in Surrey. He was told not to go home or alert the police, and the safety of his family was threatened if he disobeyed the instructions.

The victim knocked on the front door of the closest house he could find and asked for help. The resident helped him to call a taxi to get back home.

When the victim arrived back, the police were already at his property and he was taken to hospital. He had injuries to his eyes after being punched by his captors and blindfolded tight.

Aided in court by a Mandarin interpreter, Guo had told the jury he was visiting the UK for around three months and "was just a tourist".

The court also heard that six other suspects were "believed to all be back in China".

"I am glad that the jury have reached this decision today," said Detective Inspector Justine Jenkins, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit. 

"It continues to be a complex and challenging case and our officers were working around the clock to find the victim safe.

"He was put through a traumatic ordeal and he has been supported by our specially trained officers. I hope that today’s result goes some way in helping him to recover from his ordeal."

Guo will be sentenced on Thursday, April 25.