Three men have been found not guilty of kidnap after a police probe caused a school to go into lockdown.

Tijmal Saddique, 38, of Mildred Avenue, Watford, was found not guilty by a judge at St Albans Crown Court on March 30.

The other men, Junior Scarlett, 45, of Fortescue Road, Edgware, and Daniel Till, 47, of Scots Hill, Croxley Green, were also found not guilty on the same day after no evidence was offered.

They were arrested after Hertfordshire Constabulary were called to concerns for a man’s safety after he was allegedly seen being forced into a vehicle in Beechwood Rise.

Enquiries led officers to an address in Croxley Green, and they undertook a search.

Rickmansworth School, near to the address, went into lockdown at around 1.20pm as police searched nearby buildings and an area of the site.

The school said that the lockdown was implemented “in order to keep your children safe” and the incident was unrelated to the school.