Gang members jailed for 'sadistic' kidnap and torture with blowtorch

Members of a drugs gang have been jailed for the sickening 19-hour torture with a blow torch of a man they had accused of stealing cocaine.

- by Nick Frame

Connor McCarthy and Joshua Spreadbury were both jailed on Friday at Leeds Crown Court after being found guilty after a trial of kidnap and GBH with intent. Kathleen McKeown was handed a suspended sentence after she was found guilty of kidnap.

They join two other men who were previously jailed in 2023 for their part in the attack.

The victim, who was employed as a driver for transporting huge quantities of drugs, was asked to attend a meeting where he was jumped by the gang and beaten and burned for hours.

McCarthy, Spreadbury and McKeown were all charged in December 2023.

During the trial, the court heard the 27-year-old victim had been lured to Lawn Lane, Farnley, during the evening of May 4, 2022.