Kidnap victim jumped from car at 40mph

Feared he would be murdered

A terrified kidnap victim leapt in fear of his life from his moving car at 40 miles per hour.

The thug who forced him to drive to a lonely forest track was yesterday jailed for four years on Tuesday.

Garry Kelly (26), who had washed down Valium with a full bottle of Buckfast, approached his victim in Larbert and asked him if he would buy more alcohol for him because he had no ID.

James Horne, 24, agreed and went into a shop and made the purchases but when he came out Kelly said he had no money and offered Mr Horne £20 to drive him home to Alva to get some.

Stirling Sheriff Court heard that Kelly directed Mr Horne to Alva and told him to drive down a one-way street.

Mr Horne at first refused but then reluctantly agreed.

Halfway down the street Kelly told him to stop, picked up a screwdriver, which he found in the passenger door compartment and told Mr Horne: “Give me all your money or I’ll stab you in the eye”.

Sarah Lumsden, prosecuting, said Mr Horne was very fearful that if he left his car he would be seriously assaulted so he handed over his wallet, which was empty.

Kelly then told him to drive to a cash machine, warning him: “Stick with the programme or you’ll get hurt”.

Miss Lumsden said when they got to the cash machine Mr Horne’s account was overdrawn and he could not get any money so Kelly ordered him to hand over his iPhone and drive to Cash Converters in Stirling.

Halfway there he changed his mind and ordered him to drive to a shop in Clackmannan, where a man was reputed to buy phones, but he was not in.

They walked back to the car and Kelly said he had “scalpels” on him and ordered Mr Horne to drive around while he directed.

Miss Lumsden said: “The drive led to a secluded woodland park and as Mr Horne turned up the track he was incredibly frightened and thought that Kelly would kill him.”

The depute fiscal said Mr Horne decided to escape: “He did a U-turn, took off his seat belt, accelerated to about 40 miles an hour, opened his door and jumped out of the moving car, rolling as he hit the ground.”

Mr Horne raised the alarm and Kelly was found after a police search.

Mr Horne suffered scrapes to his arms, hands and knees as a result of jumping from the moving vehicle.

The incident happened on the afternoon of April 13 last year.

Kelly, of Alva, pleaded guilty to assault, robbery, and abduction.

Claire McCarron, defending, said Kelly was upset after visiting a patient in Forth Valley Royal Hospital and on leaving the infirmary he had drunk a bottle of Buckfast and taken a significant amount of Valium.

Miss McCarron said: “He was without finance and has resorted to the use of violence, as he does whenever he finds he wants something.”

She said there was no doubt that Kelly, who has spent much of his adult life in custody, continued to present a high risk of reoffending and a danger to the public.

In addition to the four-year jail sentence Sheriff William Gilchrist imposed a further two years extension, during which time Kelly will be automatically returned to jail if he reoffends.

He told him: “This was obviously a very serious charge. The victim was so terrified that he jumped out of a moving car.

“You have a record which, given that you’re 27, is quite extraordinary: eight cases on indictment and a longest previous sentence of three years. “A custodial sentence is inevitable.” Kelly showed no emotion as he was led to the cells.

The court heard that Mr Horne was a complete stranger to Kelly.