Man gave group intel on ‘friend’ before he was kidnapped and tortured for £500k ransom, trial hears
11.04.2024 - 09:53
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A man gave a group intel on a ‘friend’ before he was kidnapped and tortured, prosecutors allege.
Shaun Freeman, 29, is alleged to have been the ‘inside man’ who provided information including a car registration plate belonging to the man, to the group.
Delroy Chin, 47, is alleged to have placed trackers onto the man’s car, which later allowed the group to find him outside a barbershop in Hale.
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Posing as plain clothes police officers, Daniel Lowe, Ben Ukaegbu and John Bishop ‘arrested’ the man before taking him to a lockup in Gorton. Mr Freeman is alleged to have hired the stronghold.The man was kept at the lockup for 12 hours and tortured including by having his testicles tasered through his clothing and the hair on his arms being singed by a blow torch, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Throughout the ordeal the group left a cement mixer containing bricks and water running to ‘drown out the yelling and screaming’, prosecutor Henry Blackshaw said.
The group made demands for £500,000 worth of cash and drugs, before the man’s wife phoned the police and the group were quickly intercepted by an armed rescue unit. Six men namely Micah Walfall, Daniel Lowe, Ben Ukaegbu, John Bishop, Nicky Barnes and Michael Etubu have since been convicted for their part in the plot, jurors were told.
Mr Freeman, of Hulme, and Mr Chin, of Northampton, are on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of conspiracy to kidnap. Both deny the offence.
Opening the case to the jury, Mr Blackshaw said there was ‘no doubt at all’ that the man was kidnapped. “There is no doubt he was kidnapped by a team of people who were