Woman charged in bid to kidnap virtual boyfriend

AN American woman who allegedly plotted the real-life abduction of a man she met through the virtual reality website Second Life was charged with attempted kidnapping yesterday, US authorities said.

Kimberly Jernigan drove to the 52-year-old man’s apartment with a stun gun, handcuffs and duct tape but fled when he returned to his Maryland home and discovered her, court records showed.

The pair met on the social site Second Life, which enables users to create alter egos and have virtual lives online, but the man ended the relationship after they met in person.