Five men convicted of horrific kidnapping in Shropshire

During the two-week trial at Shrewsbury Crown Court It was heard heard how on December 29 at around 2.18pm four masked men dragged the victim from an address in Arleston in Telford, forcing him into the boot of a black Audi A4.

Haider Ali, 22, of Montgomery Road in Wellington was found guilty of kidnap at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday 16 June).

Four other men - Jawad Hussain, 20, of Windsor Road in Arleson, Telford; Ehteshan Hussain, 22, of Princess Avenue in Arleson, Telford; Faheem Chohan, 23, of Windsor Road in Arleson, Telford;  and Shayyan Hussain, 24, of John Broad Avenue in Arleson, Telford – all pleaded guilty to their roles in the incident.

The court was shown CCTV of the vehicle speeding away from the scene, travelling through Wellington with the boot open and the victim’s feet hanging out of the car.

The car eventually stopped and two of the suspects closed the boot before continuing their journey to a storage unit in Eyton. The victim was taken inside and violently assaulted.

It was heard that Ali arrived 20 minutes later in a Volkswagen Passat before leaving after 10 minutes, followed by the Audi carrying two of the kidnappers.

The Audi was dumped at Lilleshall Golf Club, and its occupants got into the Volkswagen. 

The jury was told the victim was left locked inside the unit and tied to a chair.

The abandoned Audi was later reported to police, with CCTV linking it to the Volkswagen, leading to Ali being identified and arrested.

The jury also heard how CCTV from earlier in the day showed Ali take multiple phone calls from the four men, including a call two minutes after the kidnap while in Telford Centre.

While Ali was in police custody a video of the victim being tortured by the kidnappers was sent to his phone.

Using this, officers were able to identify the other four kidnappers.

After Ali’s arrest, the four men returned to the unit and put the victim into a car before driving to north Shropshire.

Later that evening, police received a call from a takeaway in Whitchurch stating a man had managed to escape kidnap and was seriously injured. Officers attended and identified the man as the victim.

The victim told officers that while two of the suspects were out of the car, he managed to lock the doors and, noticing the keys were in the ignition, drive to safety. He was then taken to hospital.

All five men are due to be sentenced at a later date at Shrewsbury Crown Court. A sixth man also stood trial for kidnap but was found not guilty of any involvement.

Detective Chief Inspector Lee Holeshouse, from the force’s Major Investigations Unit, said: “This was a shocking and deeply disturbing attack in which a young man was kidnapped in broad daylight, subjected to a sustained and brutal assault, and held against his will.

“The actions of all five men involved show a complete disregard for human life and the law, and the level of violence and intimidation used is utterly unacceptable.

“I would like to commend the bravery of the victim in escaping such terrifying circumstances, and the determination of officers whose swift and thorough investigation within those first 24 hours, and afterwards, brought those responsible to justice.”