Ex-British Consul and partner kidnapped in Ecuador by masked men

Fears were growing last night for a former British honorary consul kidnapped from his home in Ecuador.

Wealthy businessman Colin Armstrong, 78, was snatched along with his Colombian partner by up to 15 masked men reportedly disguised as police officers.

The couple were driven away in Mr Armstrong’s black BMW which was later found abandoned around 10 miles away.

It comes amid a sharp rise in violent crimes fuelled by drug trafficking gangs.

Mr Armstrong, who headed the British Consulate in the port city of Guayaquil, was allegedly snatched in the early hours of Saturday morning.

A bomb threat linked to the kidnapping was later reported nearby.

The Foreign and Development Office has confirmed it is in contact with Ecuadorian authorities following the disappearance of a British man, but did not confirm his identity.

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Mr Armstrong owns the 500-acre Tupgill Park estate in North Yorkshire, which was his childhood home.

It now welcomes more than 150,000 visitors a year to an attraction known as the Forgotten Corner which was originally built as a private folly.

Mr Armstrong owns Agripac, a large agricultural supply company, in Ecuador.

He works there alongside son Nick, who took over the consul role from his father in 2016 and is also a director of the company that runs Ripon Racecourse.

Mr Armstrong was awarded an OBE and CMG by the late Queen in 2011.

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