Stockton kidnappers made man film naked ransom videos

The gang repeatedly physically attacked him before stripping him naked and forcing him to film a video asking a relative for money, the court heard.

The video had to be filmed several times as the kidnappers were not happy with the finished product, Connor said.

The man’s ordeal only came to an end when he had been left alone for a while and wriggled free from his bindings, the court heard.

He fled across a field and reached the A19 where motorists stopped to help him.

The court heard Pearce had 27 offences on his criminal record including for repeatedly harassing his ex-partner in 2022 and 2023, the court heard.

In mitigation, Sophie Johnston said Pearce did not play a “hands on roll” with the kidnap as he did not match the physical descriptions of the men who put the victim in the van or have the “Top Boy-style southern accents” of those in the caravan.

The court heard the father of nine completed three tours of Northern Ireland in the 1990s for the Army, where he boxed for his regiment, and until recently ran a scaffolding and landscaping business.

Judge Aisha Wadoodi said while it could not be proved who did what during the kidnapping, Pearce was actively involved.

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