Kidnapper jailed in torture case

A fourth man has been jailed for the abduction and torture of a Salford man.

Isaac Nathan Hodges, 23, pleaded guilty to kidnap, blackmail and false imprisonment. He was sentenced to ten years in prison.

Three men have previously been convicted in relation to the same case.

The victim’s ordeal occurred in November 2009, when he was abducted from outside his home.

He was leaving his flat at the Fusion Apartments in Salford when he noticed that he was being followed by four men in a dark car.

As he was waiting for the gates to open, one of the men punched through the passenger window of his car.

Terrified, he sped away, but was eventually cornered, dragged from his own vehicle, and forced into the back of the kidnappers car.

A bag was then put on his head to prevent him seeing where he was while the kidnappers drove him to an address in Ashton-under-Lyne.

Two more men were waiting inside, and on arrival he was thrown on the floor and tied up with cable. He was told that they were to demand a ransom from his family.

The victim was scolded with boiling water and stabbed in the leg, as well as being punched and stamped on throughout the six-hour ordeal.

He was forced to call his brother asking for the ransom, which was then collected by the kidnappers at a meeting-point in Ardwick.

The victim only escaped to safety when he was left alone briefly. He managed to untie the cable around his hands and run to a house next door.

He remained in hospital for three days following his escape.

Detective Constable Dan Worthington said: “The impact of this incident on the victim cannot be overstated, so it is only right that these offenders have today been given lengthy sentences.

“Since the police received the report, we have had to work very hard on this investigation, with particular assistance from the Crown Prosecution Service and Forensic Science Service and I hope today’s result will help the victim’s recovery.”