A “TERRIFYING” kidnap which left a man thinking he was going to die has landed five people from Slough behind bars for almost 20 years.
Brother and sister Ruben Butt and Aisha Butt, both of Long Readings Lane, kidnapped the latter’s former partner out of “revenge” in Slough in August 2020.
The kidnapping soon escalated when the siblings, along with friend Alasan Manneh, took the man to the flat of drug-addicts Marcus West and Georgia Bayes who let them use their apartment for £40.
The group -- which also included two unidentified Asian men -- then made the kidnapping victim strip before threatening him with a machete and a knife.
They also told him they would gauge his eyes out.
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Eventually, the man was released after agreeing to exchange his uncle’s new Audi for his freedom.
Ruban and Aisha Butt let the man go and stole the Audi, which has never been recovered.
The kidnapping victim told police what happened a week later and the group were later arrested.
In a statement, he said: “I’m constantly watching over my shoulder.
“Though I didn’t receive any physical injuries, the emotional effect of this will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
At a sentencing at Reading Crown Court yesterday, Judge Norton handed out prison sentences totalling nearly 20 years to the five defendants, who were convicted following a trial.
The Judge said: “This was a prolonged incident involving a number of people.
“It was no doubt a terrifying experience for the man who thought he was going to die.”
What happened?
Ruben Butt, 18, and Aisha Butt, 22, were out shopping in Slough in August 2020 when they spotted the latter’s former partner sitting in a car on the High Street.
The pair had recently separated and Ms Butt had made unfounded allegations about his behaviour towards her.
The brother and sister got into his car and told him to drive, telling him they just “wanted to talk to him.”
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He drove to various locations before the group was joined by Alasan Manneh, of Bromycroft Road, Slough.
The four drove to Chalvey where upon arrival the man was told to get into a van.
At this point, Ruban and Aisha left the group. The man was “driven around for some time” by two unidentified Asian men before the group arrived at Lynch Hill Lane -- the home of Marcus West and Georgia Bayes.
Manneh paid the couple £40 to use their flat to keep the man as a “hostage”, Judge Norton said.
West “joked” with Manneh about “torturing” the man, who was told to strip by his captors.
Manneh told West to make sure the man could not leave, too. Ruban and Aisha Butt rejoined the group.
The court heard how Ruban Butt tried to stab the man, but he was prevented from doing so by his sister Aisha.
Alasan Manneh threatened the kidnapped man with a machete, who was told by his captors they would gauge his eyes out.
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Ruban Butt eventually agreed to let the man go after he told them he could have his uncle’s new Audi in exchange.
The man was released after Ruban Butt and Aisha Butt stole the car, which to this day has not been recovered.
What did the Judge have to say about the defendants and what sentences did she give them?
Ruban Butt
Butt’s defence counsel, Johan Grefstad, said the 18-year-old did not plan the offence and was “making it up as he went along”.
He added: “The man was not harmed during the kidnap.
“Ruban acted in the way he did because of what his sister had been through and his desire to protect her.
“He will be a different person into his early 20s.”
But Judge Norton, who was also sentencing Butt wounding with intent in a separate offence, said he posed a “serious risk to members of the public.”
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Referencing the kidnapping, she added: “Though you were initially motivated by revenge, you were more motivated by the hope of personal financial gain more than anything else.”
“You are clearly someone who requires careful monitoring and intensive intervention for a considerable period of time.”
Butt was sentenced to four years and eight months in jail for the kidnapping, theft and blade possession offences he had been convicted of, and a further 30 months behind bars for the wounding with intent conviction.
His total sentence was seven years and two months in a young offenders’ institution, where he will serve half this sentence before being eligible for release.
Aisha Butt
Johan Grefstead, who was Ms Butt’s defense counsel too, said she “didn’t intend what happened”.
He added: “This is a young woman who has been unable to cope with the troubles of her life.”
Judge Norton acknowledged Butt’s action to prevent physical harm to her former partner.
She said: “You may have got into his car to talk but when the situation escalated you did nothing to prevent him being taken away.
“It was not until hours later that you did something to prevent any harm.”
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Butt was sentenced to five years behind bars for the kidnapping and theft, which she will serve half of before being eligible for release.
Alasan Manneh
18-year-old Manneh’s defence counsel James Walker noted the defendant’s previous ‘good character’ in his address to Judge Norton, something she acknowledged in her sentencing.
Despite this, she told Manneh it was “ultimately him” who made arrangements to take the man to the flat of Georgia Bayes and Marcus West.
Manneh was sentenced to five years in a young offenders’ institution after he was convicted of kidnapping. He will serve half this time before being eligible for release.
Marcus West
West, who is 27, had a “secondary” and “limited” role in the kidnapping and imprisonment, defence counsel James McCrindell said.
But Judge Norton said he was “fully aware of what was going on” at his flat.
She added: “You did nothing to help the man or prevent what was taking place.”
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She sentenced West to two years and six months in jail for false imprisonment. He will serve half of this sentence before he can be released.
Georgia Bayes
Bayes also had a “secondary” role in the incident, defence counsel Thomas Godfrey said.
The 25-year-old defendant had something to say during the two-hour long sentencing, too.
Addressing Judge Norton, she said: “Are we getting sentenced today because if not I am going to go back. This is taking ages!”
Judge Norton responded: “There are certain things that have to happen in a sentence.”
Despite this, Judge Norton praised Bayes for cooperating with authorities following the incident.
Bayes was sentenced to 21 months behind bars for false imprisonment. Like the others, she will serve half before she can be released.
The sentencing took place at Reading Crown Court on Monday, May 24.
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