TWO Birmingham men have appeared before a judge accused of the kidnap and false imprisonment of a Swindon man and his girlfriend.

Malachi Halstead, 23, and Robert Mohid, 24, pleaded not guilty to a string of charges relating to an alleged incident in the town on November 23 2004.

The men are accused of being part of a gang which kidnapped Russell Mead and falsely imprisoned Sonya Knight.

They are also charged with taking an N-reg Honda Civic without the owner's consent on the same day.

Halstead is accused alone of blackmailing Mr Mead, demanding he hand over money and controlled substances.

Both men pleaded not guilty to all of the charges when they appeared before Swindon crown court.

The two men were remanded in custody.