Three men jailed for their part in Luton kidnap plot

 

Three men involved in a plot to kidnap, blackmail and intimidate a man into handing over a large amount of cash have been jailed.   

Dominic Croucher, Jamie Williams and Paul Morrell all pleaded guilty to their part in a series of offences that occurred in Luton in September last year. 

That included trying to bundle the man into a van while he walked down the street, setting fire to his fence and garden shed, and sending threatening messages with photographs of his home and family.  

All three admitted conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to blackmail and in total were jailed for more than 28 years at Luton Crown Court today (Wednesday).   

Croucher, 28, of Penderry Road, Penlan, Swansea, was sentenced to eight years and three months, whilst Williams, 40, and Morrell, 39, both of Kentmere Drive, Doncaster, were sentenced to 10 years and six months.    

At around 7.40pm on 3 September 2023, the victim was walking in Havelock Road, Luton, when he was assaulted by Williams and another man, and dragged to the ground. Williams also tried to handcuff him as he pulled him towards a white van waiting nearby.

The victim fought back and was able to escape before members of the public came to his aid. 

The white van immediately left the scene, but the handcuffs were left behind and seized by officers. DNA results linked the cuffs to both Williams and Morrell.   

Using CCTV and ANPR officers were able to identify Croucher as the driver of the white van, who had driven from Swansea the day before, staying in a hotel in Hemel Hempstead overnight.   

It was discovered that the number plates of the van were changed after the attempted kidnapping incident and were located, along with a key for the handcuffs, at the home of Williams in Doncaster.   

Further enquiries showed a white Mercedes, rented by Morrell, had been in convoy with the van after the attempted kidnapping. The vehicle was found to have travelled from Doncaster and had its number plates changed before arriving in Luton the day before. It is believed that Morrell directed Croucher to the victim’s whereabouts.   

Eight days later, on 11 September, the victim received threatening messages via social media to intimidate him into giving them some money that he had come into. Images were included which clearly showed the men had been watching both the victim and his family.   

The IP address was traced back to an address in Doncaster and the router was seized from the home address of Morrell.   

Later that same week, two people, believed to be Williams and Morrell, were seen at the victim’s home in the early hours of the morning dousing the fence with an accelerant before setting it on fire.   

Phone work showed all three were in contact with each other, with several significant conversations where they discuss a long journey, what to say if they were stopped by the police, as well as alluding to ‘life changing money’ they would get.   

There were also images found which corresponded to the ones used in the threatening messages to the victim on social media and a conversation where they claimed to have ‘blazed his gaff”.    

Croucher and Williams were both arrested on 15 September and Morrell was arrested three days later on 18 September.   

When sentencing, Her Honour Judge Hunter KC declared all three dangerous offenders and called their actions organised criminal activity.

Detective Constable Daniel Matcham from Bedfordshire Police’s Crime Investigation Department said: “This was an escalating series of events where the offenders attempted to kidnap the victim by using serious violence against him and, when that didn’t work, they continued their vendetta by threatening him and setting his fence and garden shed on fire.” 

“Their intimidating and wicked actions left the victim in fear of not only his life, but the lives of his family too.”