Pair jailed after man abducted, held captive and forced to film naked ransom video

Two men have been jailed for kidnapping and abusing a victim, forcing him to strip naked and to record a ransom video for his family. Mark Pearce, 52, from Honeycomb Avenue in Stockton, was sentenced to four years after being convicted of conspiracy to kidnap following a two-week trial that concluded on Monday (August 10). Donald Hammond, 43, of Papermill Place in London, was also convicted and received a six-year prison term at an earlier hearing. The court heard the victim was abducted near Sandy Lane in Newcastle, bound, held captive in a caravan, beaten, and then compelled to film. Investigators used CCTV and mobile phone data, while both defendants denied involvement, including Pearce’s claim he was “racing pigeons.”