A man taped his ex-partner to a chair, drugged her and threatened her with a fake gun in a terrifying ordeal, Norwich Crown Court heard.

Daniel Campanu, 40, tracked down his ex, who was in hiding at an address in north-east Norfolk, on the evening of May 7 2018, armed with the fake gun and a kitchen knife.

He threatened to kill the 30-year-old woman and a child who was with her, before kidnapping the child - who was eventually found two hours later in Campanu's car on the M11 in Essex, heading to Dover.

The court heard that he breached a restraining order and stalked the victim, watching her home for nine hours before climbing in through a window and launching the attack.

Matthew Sorel-Cameron, prosecuting, said he grabbed the victim by the throat and taped her to a chair, binding her ankles and wrists before threatening her with the fake gun.

Mr Sorel-Cameron said he forced the victim to take a stupefying hallucinogenic drug made from plants, called Scopolamine, so she thought she might be poisoned.

The victim pretended to be asleep and Campanu fled, taking her phones so she could not call for help. At 10.10pm she escaped and raise the alarm with a neighbour.

Firearms officers arrived, but Campanu was arrested just over two hours later when officers tracked down his car at junction 7 of the M11 in Essex.

The child, aged under 10, was in the car and officers also found the imitation handgun on the back seat.

Officers also seized a stun device, large knives, rolls of tape, rope, an electric dog collar, cash, a mobile phone belonging to the victim, a vial and syringe, white gloves, sleeping tablets and white powder.

The child was not hurt and the woman was taken to the James Paget Hospital for treatment.

In an impact statement the 30-year-old victim said she thought she was going to die.

Campanu, of Blyford Way, Felistowe, had admitted breaching a restraining order, false imprisonment and having a stun gun but was convicted of administering a drug with intent to commit an offence, possession of a imitation firearm, attempted child abduction, possession of knives and theft of the victim's phones.

Judge Maureen Bacon said it was a particularly serious case of domestic abuse and described him as a "dangerous and devious man".

She imposed an 18-year extended sentence - 14 years in custody and four years on licence.

Richard Kelly, for Campanu said: "He very much regrets what has happened."