Brothers kidnap driver and put him in car boot

TWO brothers carried out a “savage and merciless” kidnapping of a driver, who was held hostage for 18 hours.

The 24-year-old victim was beaten up and forced to spend part of the night in the boot of his vehicle, during a 20 hour ordeal.

Brothers Omar and Dwight Splatt humiliated and tortured the victim, who feared for his life.

Ransom demands for between £15,000 and £20,000 were made during the abduction.

Omar, 34, and Dwight, 32, of Lime Avenue, Groby, were both convicted by a Leicester Crown Court jury of kidnap, on 10-2 majority verdicts yesterday.

They were also found guilty unanimously of false imprison- ment and intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm, between Thursday and Friday, September 21 and 22 last year.

Both were acquitted of possessing a taser with intent to kidnap.

Co-accused, Ahmed Omar, 31, of Martindale Close, Leicester, was jailed for five years.

Described as the “facilitator and go-between” he was convicted of false imprisonment, but acquitted of kidnap.

A fourth defendant, Lee Weir, 56, who lived in Asplin Road, Saffron Lane, Leicester, was found not guilty by the jury of false imprisonment.

The jury accepted Weir’s account that the co-defendants turned up unannounced at his address on September 22 and he played no part in detaining the victim there for several hours until the police raided the premises.

The defendants denied the offences, with the Splatt brothers claiming they had in fact rescued the victim after he was abducted by unknown Somalian men – which was rejected by the jury.

Ahmed Omar claimed that he was also trying to assist the victim and was not involved in holding the man hostage.

However, the judge said Ahmed Omar was recruited to help with ransom negotiations.

During the trial, David Lee, prosecuting, said the incident began on September 21 at about 10pm.

He said: “The complainant was in his red Golf, having dropped off a few friends.

“He was in Bedale Drive, Beaumont Leys when he noticed a car behind with two men.

“They got in and drove him about, threatening him, saying “You’re gonna die if you don’t give us the money.’

“At one point he was put into the boot of the car for a considerable time.”

The victim was taken to a park and repeatedly punched and kicked and threatened he would be killed.

Dwight Splatt’s barrister, James Keeley, said before sentencing: “He’s never previously been convicted of anything so serious.

“He was working hard as a machine operator for about two years.

“He’s a father of two boys, aged eight and 12, and committed to them and would see them often.

“The injuries sustained by the complainant, thankfully, were not that serious.”

Mr Keeley added that descriptions of the assault in the park varied from lasting between 10 and 30 minutes.

Piers Wauchope, mitigating for Omar Splatt, said: “The assault was over a limited period and it wasn’t a repeated attack and the injuries suffered didn’t amount to broken bones.”

Both counsel urged the judge not to classify the brothers as dangerous, as defined by law, or to impose an extended sentence with an additional licence period.

Michael Garvey, representing Ahmed Omar, a painter and decorator, said: “Any violence had ended by the time he became involved.

“The jury took the view he had nothing to do with kidnap, but that he was involved with false imprisonment.”

Omar Splatt was jailed for 14 years and Dwight Splatt was jailed for 13 years – each with an extra three years added to their licence periods.