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“Mr. Shepherd conceived a plan that he was going to arrange for the kidnapping of Ms. Arnold, who he knew, in order to find out where the boyfriend was.”

Arnold, a sex-trade worker, was advised Shepherd had arranged a “date” for her and he picked her up in a cab and took her to a residence where she consumed some drugs and alcohol.

“She then began to be questioned where her boyfriend was. She was then handcuffed; she was assaulted,” Buziak said. “WD-40 was sprayed on her and she was threatened to be burned.”

She was then taken to a car outside and driven around Calgary, at one point being threatened with a cordless grinder.

“She was also advised that they would chop her up,” Buziak said.

They ultimately ended up in the parking lot of a Safeway store around 6 a.m. and Arnold was able to flee the vehicle, with Shepherd giving chase, the prosecutor said.

He once again cuffed her, but she was able to break free again and run for help.

Buziak said he and defence lawyer Shaun Leochko agreed on a 34 1/2-month sentence, which he acknowledged was on the low end of the range, because Arnold refused to co-operate and the Crown would have to try to prove its case through hearsay evidence.

Among those witnesses would be an onlooker who she ran to, seeking help, he said.

“Stinking of WD-40 and handcuffed behind her back, she began telling the civilian witness what happened,” Buziak said.

Despite finding some of the facts “most alarming,” Jeffrey accepted the lawyers’ joint submission.

With credit for his remand time Shepherd, 56, will have two years left to serve.

KMartin@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @KMartinCourts