Fifth man convicted of kidnapping

A fifth defendant has been convicted of kidnapping a 21-year-old man, snatched from a house in Telford.

Haider Ali, 22, of Montgomery Road in Wellington, was found guilty at the end of a two-week trial at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Tuesday.

Four other men had already admitted their part in the attack, in which the victim was driven across the borough, at times with his legs hanging out of the boot of a car, before being beaten and finally escaping. All five will be sentenced at a later date.

A sixth man, Shariq Raza, 20, of Span Meadow, Wellington, was cleared of involvement.

West Mercia Police said four masked men dragged the victim from an house in Arleston on the afternoon of 29 December, before putting him in the boot of a black Audi A4.

The court was shown CCTV of the vehicle leaving the scene at speed, travelling through Wellington, police said.

The victim was taken inside a storage unit in Eyton, where he was violently assaulted.

Ali arrived later in another car and helped the others dump the Audi at Lilleshall Golf Club. The jury was told how the victim was left locked inside the unit and tied to a chair.

Ali was arrested after his Volkswagen was identified and linked to him.

While he was in police custody, a video of the victim being tortured by the kidnappers was sent to his phone, the force said.

Officers were able to identify the four kidnappers who later pleaded guilty from the footage:

• Shayyan Hussain, 24, of John Broad Avenue, Arleston
• Jawad Hussain, 20, of Windsor Road, Arleston
• Faheem Chohan, 23, of Windsor Road, Arleston
• Ehteshan Hussain, 22, of John Broad Avenue, Arleston

The four men went back to the unit, putting the victim in a car before driving into north Shropshire.

At 21:58 GMT, police received a call from a takeaway in Whitchurch stating a man had managed to escape kidnap and was seriously injured.

The victim told officers that while two of the suspects were out of the car, he was able to lock the doors and, and noticing the keys in the ignition, drive to safety. He was then taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries, West Mercia Police said.

Det Ch Insp Lee Holeshouse, from the force's Major Investigations Unit, said: "This was a shocking and deeply disturbing attack in which a young man was kidnapped in broad daylight, subjected to a sustained and brutal assault, and held against his will.

"The actions of all five men involved show a complete disregard for human life and the law, and the level of violence and intimidation used is utterly unacceptable."

The five are due to be sentenced on 22 July.

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