Gang jailed for imprisoning and torturing two men

Five men have been jailed for a total of 72 years after imprisoning two men and torturing them using a knife and an iron before leaving them in the boot of a car in Sussex.

Police received 999 calls from people living in flats at Barclay House, in Wellington Road, Brighton, after they reported hearing shouts for help at 10.20pm on 6 October, 2015. When officers arrived at the scene, they found two victims with their hands and feet bound, one still in a car boot and the other sitting on the ground nearby.

The men had been held for four hours while the attackers demanded cash. One victim, a 24-year-old man suffered a stab wound to the arm, burns to his feet and wounds to his face and head. The other victim aged 21 suffered minor injuries to his head and wrist.

Samuel Tando, 28, of Croydon and Ashraf Abdullah, 28, of Hove were sentenced to 14 years in prison each, William Ben-Sellem, 24, of Brighton and Alexander Pululu, 32, of Orpington, Kent were given 17 years in prison each and Martin Maloney, 41, of Brighton was jailed for 10 years.

Detective Inspector Andy Wolstenholme said: "The victims in this case were subjected to an horrific ordeal, suffering tremendous pain and stress. The 24-year-old man has not recovered full mobility in his arm and is struggling with mental ill health as a result of the incident. This has been an incredibly complex investigation. I would like to thank the investigating team for all their hard work and diligence. Achieving this result will aid the victims' recovery as well as sending a strong message that violent and organised criminal groups are not welcome in Sussex and will be relentlessly pursued.