A Melbourne man has admitted to kidnapping two young siblings and demanded a ransom of $1 million from their parents.
Ji Jiang, 37, pleaded guilty on Friday to breaking into a Blackburn North home armed with a knife on August 21 last year and kidnapping a five-year-old girl and her three-year-old brother.
The Mitcham guy acknowledged to demanding a $1 million ransom to free the children, who were discovered 12 hours later at a Mitcham home less than 10 minutes away.
Ji, on the other hand, will be tried in County Court after denying additional allegations.
He allegedly assaulted the mother of the children before driving them away in the family’s Mercedes-Benz.
He has pled not guilty to assault charges as well as the theft of the $50,000 automobile.
‘I drove the automobile because I needed it,’ Ji said in Melbourne Magistrates Court, where he appeared via videolink from detention.
Ji has not applied for bail and will appear in court on July 4 for the start of the trial, which could last up to ten days.