Nine people to admit to being involved with torturing three men at a South Shields garage

All nine people charged with being involved in the false imprisonment, blackmail and torture of three men have been convicted at Newcastle Crown Court.

The group lured their victims to a lock-up off Fowler Street, in South Shields, on September 18, 2023, before holding them prisoner and subjecting them to “horrifying” levels of violence.

They then demanded significant amounts of money for the victims and their families in order to secure their release.

The incident followed a dispute which police suspect to be “rooted in criminality”.

All three victims were treated in hospital for a range of injuries as police carried out dawn raids across the North East in the weeks that followed to find those responsible.

Officers arrested and charged nine suspects in relation to the incident.

Seven of them pleaded guilty to two counts of false imprisonment and one count of blackmail when appearing at Newcastle Crown Court on April 15 and 16.

Then yesterday (Wednesday, June 12), two other suspects admitted to affray.

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The defendants are named as:

• Craig Seales, 37, of Rembrandt Avenue, South Shields. He pleaded guilty to two counts of false imprisonment and blackmail.
• Daniel Lake, 33, of Landseer Gardens, South Shields. He pleaded guilty to two counts of false imprisonment and blackmail.
• Samantha Olsen, 36, of Sheridan Road, South Shields. She pleaded guilty to two counts of false imprisonment and blackmail.
• Jonathon Ferguson, 31, of Quary Lane, South Shields. He pleaded guilty to two counts of false imprisonment and blackmail.
• Iain Sutherland, 33, of Marigold Walk, South Shields. He pleaded guilty to two counts of false imprisonment and blackmail.
• Kasim Thompson, 35, of Cedar Grove, South Shields. He pleaded guilty to two counts of false imprisonment and blackmail.
• Grant Maclean, 24, of Bluebell Way, South Shields. He pleaded guilty to two counts of false imprisonment and blackmail.
• Jonathon Mason, 35, of Pine Avenue, South Shields. He pleaded guilty to affray.
• Liam Price, 30, of Oak Avenue, South Shields. He pleaded guilty to affray.

All nine were remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on September 2.

Following the convictions, Northumbria Police Detective Inspector Mark Atherton, the senior investigating officer in the case, said: “This was a terrifying ordeal for the three victims who were subjected to significant levels of violence.

“While the exact nature of the dispute is unknown, it is clear the origins lie in organised criminal activity and these defendants set about to punish and intimidate them that day.

“Violence of any kind will never be tolerated and a huge amount of work from a team of specialist detectives has culminated in the conviction of nine violent offenders.

“I would also like to commend the outstanding bravery that the victims have shown throughout the criminal justice process.

“As part of Operation Sentinel, our dedicated activity to tackle serious and organised crime, we will continue to consider every tactic at our disposal to dismantle criminal networks and bring offenders to justice.”