Kidnappers sentenced to total of 47 years in prison

A gang of men who kidnapped and assaulted a Swindon teenager was sentenced to a total of 47 years in prison at Swindon Crown Court yesterday (27/09).

Connor Stacey (22) from Tilehurst, Reading and Daniel Dowling (23) from Calcot, Reading were found guilty of kidnap and grievous bodily harm,  with Francis Koroma (23), also from Reading, guilty of kidnap and possession of a firearm with the intent to commit kidnap. 



Today, Stacey was sentenced to 15 years in prison , Koroma to 14 years and Dowling to 14 years in custody. 



Earlier this month, at the start of the original trial, Jamie Bullen (25) from Penhill, Swindon and Callum Barlow (25) from Oakhurst, Swindon pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm - they were sentenced to 25 months and 27 months respectively. 



In November last year, Bullen and Barlow, on behalf of the Reading gang, lured the 18-year-old victim to a house in Penhill where he was ambushed by other men with a hammer and left with broken bones in his face.



Dowling, Stacey, and Koroma then drove the victim to Reading and during the drive he was threatened with a gun by Koroma. 



He was initially taken to a lock up garage in the town where he was told there were two bullets for the gun and the gang threatened him with Russian roulette.  A video of him having a revolver pointed at him was posted by one of the perpetrators on social media soon afterwards. 



He was then moved to a nearby hotel where he was tied up and left; then, the next day, he was driven round the town to raise cash to pay off a drug debt of £3,000 to £4,000.    



Speaking after the verdict today, DI Paul Hacker said:  "We are not only pleased with the guilty verdicts from a couple of weeks ago but are also pleased with today's sentencing of all five men.



"Stacey, Koroma and Dowling came to Swindon from Reading to carry out the kidnap and brutal assault of a young Swindon man over a sustained period of time.  The use of weapons and a firearm in this assault made this an extremely serious offence for which Wiltshire Police were committed to bringing these individuals to justice.  



"This type of violent crime and the use of weapons in our county will not be tolerated, and today's result sends a clear message to support that - if you come here we will catch you and you will be locked up. 



"Anyone who is considering carrying out these kind of actions in our county should pay heed to this case and consider the serious consequences of doing so. 



"Regardless of what the victim was involved in, at the end of the day he is a human being and was subjected to the utmost violence and contempt.  The world of drugs is a dangerous business and the victim in this case nearly paid for that with his life. 



"I'd like to praise his bravery throughout the case for standing up to these attackers and enabling the evidence to be put before the court. 



"The people responsible for his abduction have at no stage shown any remorse for their actions."