Men jailed over torture attack

Two north Shropshire men who tortured a teenage boy and forced him to inhale heroin during a terrifying attack have been jailed. The 16-year-old victim cannot be named.

He was subjected to a three-hour "prolonged and violent attack" that left him with a broken jaw, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard yesterday.

Karl Orend, 24, of Broughall, near Whitchurch, and Thomas Earthy, 19, of Dodington, Whitchurch, tied up their victim, cut him with a knife, whipped him with a belt, tried to strangle him and forced him to inhale heroin, the court was told.

Both men admitted robbery and assault occasioning grievous bodily harm on August 8 last year.

The court heard they attacked their victim after accusing him of stealing DVDs from Earthy.

Judge Michael Dudley gave both men a six-year extended sentence for the robbery, comprising a two-year prison sentence and an extended sentence of four years on licence and a three-year prison sentence, to run concurrently, for the grievous bodily harm.

The total time the pair will spend in prison is three years.

Mr Tariq Shakoor, prosecuting, said they and a third man, who has been senten-ced separately, started assa-ulting the victim but were disturbed and later returned to continue the assault.

Mr Patrick Thompson, for Orend, said he had become addicted to heroin after a serious accident and had gone on a two-month crime spree but had no previous convictions.

Mr Earl Pinnock, for Earthy, said he had had a difficult life but that these were his first offences of violence.