A former aide to the Queen Mother feared for his life after he was abducted, beaten, stripped naked and robbed by a gang, a court has been told.

Niall Hall, 49, was kidnapped by three men as he unloaded his car in Bridge Lane, Battersea, at 11pm on February 1, 2009.

Mr Hall, who was blindfolded and held in a lock-up, told the jury the gang stole his watch, his wallet, his car and then demanded the clothes off his back after plundering his back accounts using his bank cards.

He said: "After they returned they told me to remove my clothing. First my coat, then my suit jacket, shoes, socks and underwear. Finally the shirt was pulled off in a violent manner because I had cuff links on.

"The light flickered on and off briefly and I could see my left index finger had been lacerated and a lot of blood was coming out.

"I caught a glimpse of a roll of gaffer tape, which particularly worried me. By that stage I'd been abducted, badly injured, cut, tied up, held against my will, stripped naked and quite frankly there wasn't an awful lot left on the menu.

"At this point the person standing over me started to use the blade of the knife and rubbed it backwards and forward over my shoulder.Then he occasionally tapped the knife three times on my head."

Despite being robbed of possessions worth more than £22,000, including his car worth £18,000, a £750 watch, a £900 suit he was wearing, and a £1,200 dinner jacket in the boot of the car, the greatest loss was a medal presented to him by the Queen.

Speaking at Kingston Crown Court today, December 13, Mr Hall, said: "Of particular sadness was the loss the MVO (Member of Victorian Order), it was a personal gift from the Sovereign - given to me by the Queen for services to her mother, the late Queen Elizabeth."

Mr Hall was finally released by his captors in Chelsea, where a group of cyclists found the bloodied, half-naked and terrified man wandering along Cheyne Walk.

Last week Bill McGivern, prosecuting, told the court: "This was a completely random attack on a member of the public who was targeted, because to the defendants he appeared wealthy and drove a nice car."

Brian Gilbert, 29, of Surrey Lane, Derwen Ellis, 30, of Westbridge Road and Martin Dias, 29, of Surrey Lane, all in Battersea, all deny kidnapping and robbery.

Kizzy Miller, 33, of Surrey Lane, denies withdrawing the money from Mr Hall's account.

Aaron Miller, 20, of Eccles Road, Battersea, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and robbery prior to the trial.