A gang who kidnapped a man and subjected him to a sickening campaign of ‘torture’ – including force-feeding him, sexually assaulting him and terrifying him with dogs – have been jailed for more than 36 years.

Reece Armstrong, Tarelle Thompson, Lorna Swyer, Sebastian Love and Levi Burton were sentenced at Guildford Crown Court after a six-week trial heard how the 38-year-old victim was abducted in broad daylight and taken across county lines.

The court was told the ordeal began at around 12.20pm on April 26 last year when a neighbour alerted police that the man had been kidnapped by two or three men wearing balaclavas.

An investigation was immediately launched by the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team.

The victim was first taken to an address in Reigate, Surrey, where he was blindfolded and force-fed. Two dogs at the property were deliberately agitated to make him fear they would attack him.

He was then driven to Farnborough, Hampshire, where he was subjected to a prolonged physical assault and sexual assault.

The following day, his brother began receiving a series of calls demanding payment to secure his release.

But at around 4.30pm that same day, officers from Hampshire Constabulary located the victim at the Farnborough address, bringing the terrifying ordeal to an end.

Burton, Swyer, Thompson and Armstrong were arrested at the scene. Further enquiries identified Love as the person making the demand calls. He was later arrested and charged.

Armstrong, 30, from Staines-upon-Thames, was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, Section 18 assault occasioning grievous bodily harm with intent and two counts of possession of an offensive weapon. 

He was sentenced to nine years in prison, to run consecutively to an unrelated five-year sentence imposed in July 2025.

Thompson, 28, from Croydon, was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap and possession of an offensive weapon. He was jailed for nine years and will serve a further five years on licence.

Swyer, 21, from Dorking, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and common assault. She was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

Love, 21, from Merton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and was handed three years and four months imprisonment.

Burton, 31, from Leatherhead, was found guilty of sexual assault following the trial and he had already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap, false imprisonment and assaulting a police officer.

He was sentenced yesterday and received 12 years imprisonment and five years on license and will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Kimball Edey, said: ‘As soon as we became aware that a kidnap had taken place, officers worked at pace to locate the victim as quickly as possible.

‘He was located the day after he’d been kidnapped, and had 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 the sentencing today has ensured they will spend a long time in prison, where they belong.’