TWO young men have appeared before a court accused of kidnap.

Malamushi Mwense, 22, of Butterside Road, Ashford, and Craig Knight, 19, of Kestrel Close, Ashford, are both charged with unlawfully taking Daniel Ritzen by force and against his will between December 29 and January 1. Mwense is also charged with possessing cocaine.

The pair appeared at Folkestone Magistrates' Court on Tuesday. They will next go before a judge at Maidstone Crown Court where a preliminary hearing will be held on Monday, January 15.

An application for bail was refused and the pair will remain in custody. They have been held in police cells since their arrest at the Eureka business park in Ashford.

Four other people were also arrested at the scene, two aged 17, one aged 18 and one aged 19. They have been released on bail pending further inquiries.

Mwense is in the final year of a degree course at a university in London. Knight works full-time as an apprentice engineer.