It looks like a serious crime is being committed, with a man having no chance at the hands of three armed, masked women.
In fact, the victim was John MacDonald, director of nurse education in Oxford, and the criminal trio - Rachel Desorgher, Nichola Dyson and Toity Deave - were first year student nurses.
They had all hatched the plan in August 1981 to raise money for Helen House hospice.
READ MORE: Rail passengers urged to oppose ticket office closures
Two of the villains, armed with water pistole, had burst into a classroom at the School of Nursing at the John Radcliffe Hospital and snatched their helpless victim.
His hands were tied behind his back and he was pushed at gunpoint – well, pistol point – through the building to a waiting car.
One of the raiders said: “We are taking him to a secret destination where he will be kept overnight.
“ If a ransom isn’t paid, he will face death – or at least have a wet sponge thrown at him.”
His captors later put him in a cage in Cornmarket Street and charged shoppers and other passersby for the privilege of hurling wet sponges at him.
READ MORE: Cases from Oxford Magistrates' Court
The amount they raised for the hospital appeal wasn’t revealed, but Rachel said: “We thought kidnapping would make a change from simple sponsorship.”
The Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery (OSNM) is a partnership which provides nurses and midwives with all they need to excel. Inspired by world-leading examples such as John Hopkins University in the United States, it combines research driven education and clinical practice.
The partnership comprises Oxford Brookes University, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, under the umbrella of the Oxford Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC).
Help support trusted local news
Sign up for a digital subscription now: oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe
As a digital subscriber you will get:
- Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website
- Advert-light access
- Reader rewards
- Full access to our app
About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning.
You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here