Three English lapdancers are facing court, accused of boss-napping the head of a Cheltenham, UK nightclub when he refused to pay them half of their earnings.
The latest boss-napping follows an incident earlier this year when two managers were held hostage in a Goodyear tyre factory in France by employees unhappy about losing their jobs.
The women, Stephanie Pye, Mandy Cool and Rachel Goodchild, as well as manager Charlotte Devaney are alleged to have taken matters into their own hands on September 3, 2012, when they got two of their male friends to kidnap and beat up nightclub boss Curtis Woodman.
Woodman and the dancers had a contract which allowed the women to dance in the pop-up club he ran at the Cheltenham horse racing festival on the condition that they wore “bikinis and nipple tassels at all times”, according to the BBC.
The women paid $278 a night to dance in the club and in return were allowed to keep any cash they made and would split evenly any credit card takings with Woodman.
Woodman alleges when the club opened the women broke their contracts by insisting on taking their clothes off, which led to the club being closed by officials.
The women had supposedly expected to be paid half of a 42,000 pound (approximately $A69,000) credit card transaction made by one enthusiastic club-goer, but did not receive the money.
Prosecutor Martin Steen told the Bristol crown court late last week Devaney, the dancers’ manager, told Woodman they needed to have a discussion. Woodman was then helped into a car by two men, Robert and Alexander Morris.
The brothers, aged in their 20s, are alleged to have then driven Woodman to a field where he was beaten, stole his watch and forced him to transfer Devaney the money.
Steen told the court Woodman was under threat and had no choice but to transfer the money.
“Mr Woodman recalls being struck while in the vehicle twice in the face by Robert Morris causing him to bleed,” he said as quoted by News.com.au.
“He was provided with Charlotte Devaney’s bank card and given clear instructions for 4800 pound to be transferred.”
The trial is continuing, but the women deny the charge of kidnapping and the Morris brothers deny robbing Woodman.
Hall and Wilcox partner Karl Rozenbergs told SmartCompany if contractors or employees believe they have been underpaid, they should go to the Fair Work Ombudsman.
“The FWO will investigate the claim and it doesn’t cost the individual any money. It’s a good way to go about it,” he says.
“The FWO can also enable discussions and often facilitates a discussion between the parties where they can reach an agreement.”
Rozenbergs says “boss-napping” is illegal under criminal law and constitutes kidnapping.
“It’s a whole world of pain for you if you go down this route,” he says.
