Preacher guilty of kidnapping

A FEDERAL jury in the US has convicted a former street preacher of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart more than eight years ago.

The verdict reached yesterday finally brought justice for Smart and her family after the ordeal that began when Brian David Mitchell took her from her home at knifepoint and held her captive for nine months when she was 14.

Now 23, Smart testified during the five-week trial in Salt Lake City that she was forced into a polygamous marriage and endured near daily rapes.