Muslim gang jailed for hot iron torture of teenager

Four Leeds men who used a hot iron and boiling water to torture a boy over a "drug debt" have been jailed.

The gang demanded a £20,000 ransom after abducting the 16-year-old on 30 April 2009, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Shaheed Rahman, 24, was sentenced to 12 years and nine months and Syed Ahmed, 24, got 12 years, after both admitted conspiracy to kidnap and blackmail.

Shuel Hussain, 28, got 10 years and Abdul Rajaque, 29, five years and three months after admitting blackmail.

A fifth man, 25-year-old Hassan Ahmed, will be sentenced at a later date after also pleading guilty to blackmail.

“ A 16-year-old young man was needlessly tortured with a hot steam iron and by having red hot water poured onto his skin ” Det Supt Bill Shackleton, West Yorkshire Police
Det Supt Bill Shackleton, from West Yorkshire Police's homicide and major inquiry team, said:

"This was a deeply traumatic experience for the young man who was taken hostage, and also for those members of his family who were obliged to deal with the demands made by the kidnappers.

"The fact that a 16-year-old young man was needlessly tortured with a hot steam iron and by having red hot water poured onto his skin made this offence all the more despicable."

The court heard the victim was bundled into a Transit van by a group of men as he walked home from a takeaway restaurant in the Harehills area of Leeds.

He was then taken to an address, in the Belle Isle area of the city, where he was handcuffed and had a pillowcase and a carrier bag placed over his head.

He was then burned on his legs with an iron and scalded with boiling water over a five-hour period.

During this time his brother was repeatedly contacted by the kidnappers who demanded a £20,000 ransom as payment of the "drugs debt".

The men threatened to cut off the victim's fingers unless it was paid.

The court heard police went to the house in Belle Isle after a neighbour reported hearing "shouts and screams".

The victim was treated at Leeds General Infirmary for his injuries and a statement written by his doctor reported that he has suffered depression and anxiety since the incident.