Three men jailed for kidnapping offence in Thornbury

Three men have been jailed for kidnapping another man in a bid to extract information from him about a relative.

Lee Ingleheart, 41 (above left), Hassan Noor, 31 (above centre), and 58-year-old Dean Meaker (above right), were given significant prison sentences after being convicted of kidnap following a trial. Ingleheart was also convicted of being in possession of a knife.

The three men devised a plan to kidnap a 43-year-old man from his home in Thornbury on 20 October 2022, as they wanted to locate one of his relatives.

They used an acquaintance of the victim to arrange a meeting at his home at around 4pm, and when he answered the door they went inside, subjecting him to threats and violence.

They led him to a Ford Transit van, before taking him to another property in the Stoke Park area, where he was held against his will and subjected to further assaults and threats.

He managed to escape the property when two of the defendants left to buy drugs, hiding in a nearby street and seeking help from a member of the public.

A member of the public had called the police after witnessing Ingleheart near the Thornbury address with a large knife.

Armed officers were deployed in search of the Ford Transit van, and it was stopped in east Bristol. Noor and Meaker were arrested at around 7.40pm and officers seized weapons from the van, including a knuckle duster and knives.

Officers also attended the property in Stoke Park, where Ingleheart was arrested at 8.45pm. When officers searched the property, they found a knife used to threaten the victim.

Ingleheart, of no fixed address, was sentenced to nine years and nine months with an additional four years on licence when he’s released from prison. Noor, of Midland Street, Bristol, was sentenced to nine years in jail, and Meaker, of Westward Road, Bristol, was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment, as well as a further six months for an unrelated burglary. The last of the sentencing hearings was held at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday 17 December.

Investigating officer Det Con Carl Spicer said: “The victim in this case went through a terrifying ordeal at the hands of these three criminals, who showed an extremely concerning propensity for violence, as well as being in possession of some fearsome weapons. He’s shown immense bravery in telling the police what happened to him and we hope he continues to recover from this horrible experience.

“We want to thank the members of the public who called police with vital information – their actions ensured armed officers were deployed and able to swiftly arrest those responsible.

“This has been a challenging investigation which has thankfully resulted in these dangerous offenders being removed from the streets for a significant amount of time.”