A KEBAB shop owner was kidnapped, assaulted and threatened at gunpoint because he owed another man money, a court has been told.Fendun Akdemir was allegedly kidnapped from his Ipswich home by a group of henchman hired to recover the debt, which had resulted through the division of ownership of kebab shops.

A KEBAB shop owner was kidnapped, assaulted and threatened at gunpoint because he owed another man money, a court has been told.

Fendun Akdemir was allegedly kidnapped from his Ipswich home by a group of henchman hired to recover the debt, which had resulted through the division of ownership of kebab shops.

Two men, Dervis Sucu and Kalender Erdogan, are charged with kidnapping and appeared at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday for the start of their trial.

Sucu, 41, of Elizabeth Way, Felixstowe, and Erdogan, 26, of Topham Road, London, have both denied the charge.

David Holborn, prosecuting, told the court, with a jury of eight women and four men, that Mr Akdemir had owed £30,000 to Sucu since mid 2001.

The pair had previously been friends and Sucu had worked for Mr Akdemir at the Barbecue House kebab shop in Felixstowe.

"In this case the parties fell out and they fell out badly in a way that had extremely serious consequences."

Mr Holborn then told the court despite efforts made by Mr Akdemir to raise the cash, including attempting to sell his home in Grove Hill, Belstead, he had not paid off the debt and Sucu had grown tired of waiting.

It is alleged that on March 23 last year a gang of men went to the Istanbul kebab house in Great Yarmouth which Mr Akdemir owned.

But finding he wasn't there they forced some of the staff into cars and drove them to the Bodrum kebab house in Norwich Road, Ipswich, which Mr Akdemir also had links with.

The gang then went to Mr Akdemir's house early in the morning and forced him into a car at gunpoint, Mr Holborn said.

He was then driven to Tottenham in London and subjected to threats of violence if he did not pay the debt.

Mr Akdemir was returned to his home later that day.

Mr Akdemir began to give evidence to the trial via videolink yesterday and had begun to tell the court about his ordeal but the trial was adjourned early because of technical problems in the court-room.

Two interpreters, who were translating the proceedings for Sucu and Erdogan, who are from Turkey, in the dock, complained to Judge John Holt that they could not hear everything that was being said because of problems with microphones.

The trial continues today.