Men Jailed After Violent Daytime Abduction and Brutal Beating

In broad daylight, with children playing nearby, Sean and Lewis Thompson, along with Jack Carlsson, initiated a kidnapping. They wore balaclavas and army camouflage during the incident. The group, which included Jamie Lawrence and Michael Townsend, pursued their victim across The Greenway in Middlesbrough in a white transit van. The teenager attempted to escape on his bicycle as one of the men tried to grab him from the moving vehicle.

During the abduction, Michael Townsend fell out of the van. A machete and a trainer also fell onto the green. The gang stopped the van and captured their victim, subjecting him to a brutal beating with a sword, repeatedly striking him on the head and shoulders until the weapon broke. They then kicked him as he lay on the ground before forcing him and his bike into the van, tying his hands.

CCTV footage captured the men chasing their victim. Carlsson, Shaun Thompson, Lewis Thompson, Townsend, and Lawrence drove off with their terrified and bleeding victim. Their plan went awry when the van broke down. The chilling scene was captured on CCTV, including audio of someone yelling, "Get out of the f van" and the victim's cries as he was pulled onto a busy road, narrowly avoided by swerving cars. Motorists immediately contacted the police after witnessing the boy being dragged along, bound and without shoes.

The terrified teenager managed to escape and stopped a car in desperation. The female driver, frightened, reported that the victim was "bleeding a lot and panicking" and asked to be driven "out of the area - to Pallister Park." Instead, she flagged down a police car, but the victim ran off and climbed onto a garage roof. Police convinced him to come down and took him to the hospital with a deep head laceration. He did not provide a victim impact statement.

Carlsson and the Thompson siblings were sentenced in court. The prosecution stated that the three men concealed their identities with balaclavas and ski masks, having purchased the equipment at a shop. The Thompsons also bought army-style outfits and boots. Carlsson was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years. Shaun Thompson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven years and six months.

Detective Sergeant Leigh Moon from Cleveland Police commented on the case, highlighting the brazen nature of the crime and the public's assistance in the investigation. He thanked the public for their help in identifying the perpetrators and bringing them to justice.