Gang jailed for kidnap of naked man who fought way out of car boot Published duration 27 October 2017

image copyright Police Scotland image caption Arnold Mukueto, Glen Elamo and Hooman Sojoodi were part of a gang found guilty of the violent abduction

Members of a kidnap gang whose naked victim fought his way out of the boot of their car while they drove him around Edinburgh have been jailed.

Emmanuel Chidubem Emmanuel halted the car by tampering with its fuse box.

Sanchez Facey, 23, Glen Elamo, 20, and Arnold Mukueto, 22, and Hooman Sojoodi, 21, were convicted of assaulting and abducting him on 10 February.

Facey, Elamo and Mukueto were each jailed for seven years, and Sojoodi was jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

Sojoodi had been freed on bail twice by courts in Aberdeen the month before the kidnapping.

The court heard that Mr Emmanuel, 27, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, had been subjected to a beating by the gang and had money stolen from a bank account, before being stripped, blindfolded and tied up.

He was placed in the car and driven around south Edinburgh for about an hour before he managed to make his escape.

'Severely injured'

He was able to free himself from his bonds, then disabled the car by pulling out fuses.

When the boot was opened at Buckstone Road he fought his way out, despite the attempts of the gang to force him back into the boot.

The alarm was raised by members of the public who saw his escape.

Lady Carmichael said Mr Emmanuel had been "severely injured" during the terrifying offence.

The judge said: "You were confronted by a number of members of the public and their presence and actions by calling the police ultimately brought this incident to an end.

"It is utterly appalling and unacceptable that you should resort to the violent and lawless conduct of which you have been convicted."

Sounding horn

Lady Carmichael said the precise background and motive for the crime did not emerge in evidence at the earlier trial, but it was clear they had wanted to extract money from their victim for some reason.

The court hear that a passing social worker, Julie Arbuckle, 47, who saw the incident began sounding her horn and called police.

She said: "They were all kicking and punching him and trying to get him into the car. At one point the naked guy, they had got him in the car but he got out the other door."

She said the incident was "frantic and shocking".

"It did look like it was one naked victim and four other men clothed," she told the court. She added: "The shock is still there now."

The social worker said she shouted at the attackers to get off him because the police were coming and they began to flee the scene.

She said Mr Emmanuel came over to her car and said "thank you". She told him the police were on their way.

Advocate depute David Taylor asked Mr Emmanuel: "Did you owe them the money?". He replied: "No."

Hooman Sojoodi, formerly of Enfield, North London, Sanchez Facey, 23, of Edmonton, North London, Glen Elamo, 20, who is serving a prison sentence in England, and Arnold Mukueto, 22, a former semi-professional footballer from London, who had moved to Aberdeen, had denied assaulting and abducting Mr Emmanuel.