Ulrika bidegård låda

As they found the Belgian interior design style unappealing, and did not speak the local language, they had their new home renovated by a Swedish contractor. Meanwhile, a photograph of the kidnapper was shown to Bidegård's parents, who immediately recognised him: he was Lars Nilsson, a carpenter from Sweden, who had been part of the team that had worked on renovating the family house.

In spite of the constant surveillance of the kidnapper's apartment from a neighbouring building, the police were unable to determine whether Bidegård was held captive there.

Her kidnapper fed her sparingly and gave her water to drink laced with sedative.

The man called Bidegård's father for the first time at his office in Göteborg. Dottern Cajsa går i mammas fotspår och tränas av Ulrika själv, vilket har gjort henne till en lovande talang inom hästsporten.

Ulrika traumatiserades av kidnappningen och än idag har hon kvar vissa men från händelsen.

She is the daughter of Kennet Bidegård, a well-off businessman, and of his wife Lena, a former Swedish Olympic gymnast. Tied up and gagged, she was driven to her kidnapper's apartment in central Brussels. Jag var så trött och hade så ont och var så svag, det smärtade överallt. There she was placed in sitting position in a wooden box where she was kept during her whole captivity.

When interrogated, relatives and friends depicted a kind, hard-working and socially healthy individual, with no predisposition to commit such a crime. The story was quickly leaked to the press by an interpreter, and it made headlines in both Belgium and Sweden.

Because he had used a public phone booth to make calls to Sweden, the police knew that the kidnapper was located in downtown Brussels, but it was cash withdrawals made with Bidegård's credit card that led them to the man on Saturday 23 January.

Men så hände plötsligt det som kom att förändra hela hennes liv.

28 år gammal blev hon plötsligt kidnappad utanför sitt hem i Rhode-Saint-Genèse, utanför Bryssel i Belgien. Her parents were in Sweden, and the villa was empty. She took part in the European Show Jumping Championships and was to compete in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, but eventually missed the competition after her horse Masada sustained an injury.

Meanwhile, Bidegård's parents had joined her in Belgium in order to take advantage, as many Swedes did in the late 1980s, of the favourable tax laws.

Men tillslut orkade jag inte ens tänka så och då tänkte jag att nu är jag nog påväg, det är liksom ingen idé, säger Ulrika i dokumentären.

Så lever Ulrika Bidegård idag

Den polisman som först öppnade upp lådan den där dagen då Ulrika fritogs hette Tony Soberon. Kennet Bidegård immediately contacted a prosecutor, who alerted Interpol. The accused kept a low profile, and apologised to the Bidegård family.

Bidegård recovered her freedom after more than four days of captivity, and her kidnapper was arrested.

On Tuesday 26 January, a letter arrived at the Bidegård's home in Sint-Genesius-Rode. En obehaglig bild på Ulrika, sittandes fastsatt med rep, ögonbindel och öppen mun, inuti den lilla lådan spreds i media.

Mannen som kidnappade Ulrika var främst ute efter pengar och han gick snart till en bankomat för att ta ut pengar med hennes kort.

Detta gjorde att polisen snabbt kunde vara honom hack i häl.

Annons

Fem dygn efter kidnappningen stormades hans lägenhet och Ulrika räddades. It enclosed a photograph of Ulrika, tied up in her wooden box, along with a laconic demand for ransom: "500000 USD WEDNESDAY". The wedding was largely covered by the Swedish press. Hon rullades in i en matta och fördes till kidnapparens gömställe.

Ulrika Bidegård hölls instängd i låda

Kidnapparen stängde in Ulrika i en låda, ”stor som en bajamaja”, som de medier som följde händelseförloppet uttryckte sig.

Kidnapparen dömdes senare till 15 års fängelse.

Renée Nyberg gör ny dokumentär

Idag, onsdag släpps en ny dokumentär om fallet. On 10 May, he was sentenced to fifteen years of penal labour. Han blev senare Ulrikas make, och paret fick två barn ihop innan de gick skilda vägar.

Idag lever Ulrika tillsammans med barnen Cajsa och Calvin på en stor hästgård i Kungsbacka.