TWO men who subjected a 22-year-old man to a seven-hour sadistic torture ordeal in which a four-letter swear word was tattooed on his face have received 14-year custodial sentences.
Michael Kyprianou was forced to strip to his boxer shorts, had his head shaved, was repeatedly punched and kicked, branded with cigarettes and a hot iron and then threatened with his life.
Northampton Crown Court heard Nigel Herron, 36, and 19-year-old Abdirahman Rooble also threatened to remove his fingers with a meat cleaver and kill him with a loaded gun.
Charlotte Yarrow, prosecuting, said Mr Kyprianou was taken back to the flat he had been sharing with Herron in Herbert Street, Spring Boroughs on December 2 last year.
A pillow case was placed over his head and he was then tortured for up to seven hours because Rooble suspected him of having stolen his drug money.
She said: “He was beaten by these defendant using hands, feet and shod feet causing significant bruising and black eyes, The 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’.
“A third man who has not been traced then showed him a gun and the bullets and threatened to take him to a field and kill him. Mr Kyprianou believed that threat and was in real fear for his life.”
Mis Yarrow said Mr Kyprianou’s injuries were “too numerous to list” but included flayed skin on his chest and back from the hot iron, black eyes, a broken nose and he was unable to speak.
Herron, of Spring Boroughs , and Rooble, of Birmingham , denied inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and kidnap. They were convicted of the torture charge after a trial last month.
The kidnap charge was left to lie on file as the jury failed to reach a conclusive verdict.
Sentencing Herron to 14 years’ imprisonment and Rooble to a similar term of detention, Judge Lynn Tayton QC said both men were responsible for the “sadistic torture of another human being.”
She added: “The background to this appears to be your involvement in the supply of drugs and the attack upon the victim appears to be because he was thought to have stolen money related to drugs.
“As a result of this he suffered burns to his body, his penis, chest and his back from the iron.”
The judge said Mr Kyprianou has since had laser treatment to remove the four-letter word although the scars on his forehead and its outline were still visible when he gave evidence at the trial.
Judge Tayton 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.”