A man was bound, gagged and had boiling water poured over his genitals by a gang who tortured him for 12 hours.
Thugs used drug addict Jennifer Baker's home in Manchester to imprison their victim, whom they forced into swallowing tablets said to contain rat poison, a court heard.
The horrendous ordeal was part of a brutal ploy to make the man cough up a considerable amount of cash as he faced threats of being 'gravely injured, if not killed' if he refused to comply, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Blackley resident Baker asked the judge overseeing her involvement in the case to lock her up so she can get clean.
Manchester Crown Court heard that after 12 hours, during which time he suffered serious injuries including burns, the victim was able to break free.
Prosecutor Alaric Bassano told how the victim was outside his home at about 7.30pm on November 12, 2019, when he was overpowered by four men and bundled into a car.
After being taken to Baker's home in Haverfield Road, Blackley, the 30-year-old was punched in the face and dragged around different rooms of the house.
The attacks included being struck by a chair, having his head hit against a wall and being kicked.
He was tied to a chair, his hands were bound with cord and his feet were tied together with rope.
A sock was forced into his mouth, and fixed in place with Sellotape. He was brought into the living room and ordered to hand over money.
After telling his kidnappers he had no cash, he was attacked again.
Cruel and terrifying punishments ensued, with boiling water being poured on his body including his genitals, and threats were also issued.
He was told he was going to be injected with heroin, and that a roll of cling film was going to be forced into his bottom after his trousers had been pulled down.
He was forced to swallow tablets which he was told contained rat poison. Tests later showed they were actually an antidepressant.
After 12 hours he was able to escape his captors.
Baker, who was present in the house while the horrifying attack occurred, was arrested and told police the gang had come to her home 'unannounced'.
"She should have said no, or at least done something about what was clearly going on," her barrister Ian Metcalfe said.
"That would not, by any stretch of the imagination, be an easy thing to do. The defendant was targeted by others, because of her weaknesses and vulnerability. She was exploited by others."
Baker, 35, who did not take part in the violence, was jailed for 18 months for assisting an offender.
For more shocking stories from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here
Judge Elizabeth Nicholls told Baker: "They used your home to imprison him, to torture him and subject him to degrading and violent treatment.
"It is right however to indicate you were to a degree as much of a victim as he was. The people who came to your address undoubtedly used you, in the sense they knew you would not put up any resistance.
"It is not as if you invited them. You simply had probably little choice in the matter."
The remaining gang members involved in the incident are awaiting sentencing.
Source: Read Full Article
