Northampton seven-hour torture: Men jailed
Two men who branded a man with an iron and tattooed an obscene word on his head have been jailed for 14 years.
Michael Kyprianou, 22, was stripped, beaten, burned and threatened with his life in seven hours of torture at a Northampton flat.
Nigel Herron, 36, of Northampton, and Abdirahman Rooble, 19, of Birmingham, suspected he had stolen drug money.
Both denied inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and were convicted by a Northampton Crown Court jury.
Charlotte Yarrow, prosecuting, told the court that the victim was taken to a flat he had shared with Herron in Herbert Street, Spring Boroughs, on 2 December last year.
Cigarettes on nipples
"A pillow case was placed over his head and he was beaten by these defendant using hands, feet and shod feet causing significant bruising and black eyes," she added.
"[An obscene word] was forcibly tattooed on his forehead and an iron was used on both his chest and back.
"Lit cigarettes were put out on his nipples and put down his boxer shorts, burning his genitals.
"They threatened to cut off his fingers with a meat cleaver and a knife was put to his throat.
"He was told: 'One slice and you're gone'," she said.
A third man who has not been caught produced a gun and threatened to take him to a field and kill him, the court heard.
Herron, of Herbert Street, and Rooble, of Summerfield Road, had also denied kidnap.
The charge was left to lie on file as the jury failed to reach a conclusive verdict.
Judge Lynn Tayton QC said both men were responsible for the "sadistic torture of another human being".
She added: "Serious injuries were caused, the assault was over a sustained period of hours, it was clearly pre-meditated, weapons were used and there were threats with a gun.
"This was carried out in a group and there was gratuitous degradation in removing his clothes and the attack was one of degradation.
"I see no reason to distinguish between the two of you."