Two men guilty of kidnap in Dorking
It follows a six week trial over an incident back in February
Two men have been found guilty of being members of a gang that kidnapped and tortured a Dorking man.
29 year old Reece Armstrong from Staines-upon-Thames and Tarelle Thompson who's 28 and from Croydon were convicted following a six week trial at Guildford Crown Court, with Armstrong also found guilty of Section 18 assault occasioning grievous bodily harm and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon. Thompson was also found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon.
A third man from Leatherhead - Levi Burton, aged 30 - wad also found guilty of sexual assault after the trial - he'd pleaded guilty to kidnap, false imprisonment and assaulting a police officer.
Lorna Swyer, who's 20 and from Dorking, also pleaded guilty to kidnap and common assault, with Sebastian Love, 21, from Merton also admitted kidnap.
Police were called by a neighbour of the victim on the lunchtime of April 26th this year, when several men wearing balaclavas were seen taking him away.
He was taken to Reigate where he was blindfolded and force-fed, where dogs were used to intimidate him, he was then taken to Farnborough where he was sexually abused, beaten, punched, kicked, burned, whipped, stabbed in the foot and forced to smoke a crack pipe. His wounds were spray painted to cause further pain.
The victim's brother received an anonymous call the next day demanding money, further calls made to him were traced by police and the property in Farnborough was located.
Several members of the gang were subsequently arrested and police managed to trace one of the phones used in the ransom demand calls.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Kimball Edey, said: “As soon as we became aware that a kidnap had taken place, my team worked at pace to locate the victim as quickly as possible.
“While we located him the day after he’d been kidnapped, he had still been subjected to what amounted to torture at the hands of Armstrong, Burton, Love, Swyer and Thompson. No one should have to endure the ordeal they had put him through and their convictions, with the remaining two being found guilty today, have ensured they have been brought to justice for their heinous actions.”
All four will be sentenced on Thursday 19 February and Friday 20 February 2026 at Guildford Crown Court.