Two Bedfordshire men and a man from Peterborough who kidnapped and tortured another man after accusing him of damaging a car, have pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and false imprisonment

%%UKNIP_TAG_0%% %%UKNIP_TAG_1%%%%UKNIP_TAG_2%% %%UKNIP_TAG_3%%%%UKNIP_TAG_4%% %%UKNIP_TAG_5%% %%UKNIP_TAG_6%%Safed Rafiq, 36, of Claremont Road, Luton, Idnan Akbar, 32, of Blenheim Crescent, Luton and 24-year-old Dawud Safeer of Lyvelly Gardens, Peterborough were yesterday (Wednesday) convicted of carrying out a brutal attack lasting hours, following a hearing at Luton Crown Court.%%UKNIP_TAG_7%% %%UKNIP_TAG_8%%%%UKNIP_TAG_9%% %%UKNIP_TAG_10%% %%UKNIP_TAG_11%%At around 12.30pm on 29 November, Rafiq had approached the victim on Ash Road in Luton, firstly walking him to a butcher on Hampton Road and then marching him back to a house in Ash Road.%%UKNIP_TAG_12%% %%UKNIP_TAG_13%%%%UKNIP_TAG_14%% %%UKNIP_TAG_15%% %%UKNIP_TAG_16%%Once in the house the victim was forced upstairs, where Akbar, Rafiq and Safeer then repeatedly punched him and subsequently attacked him with a heated machete, baseball bat and hammer.%%UKNIP_TAG_17%% %%UKNIP_TAG_18%%%%UKNIP_TAG_19%% %%UKNIP_TAG_20%% %%UKNIP_TAG_21%%The attack was only stopped after Bedfordshire Police officers responded to a report that a man had been kidnapped and was being held at the address.%%UKNIP_TAG_22%% %%UKNIP_TAG_23%%%%UKNIP_TAG_24%% %%UKNIP_TAG_25%% %%UKNIP_TAG_26%%On arrival, two officers found the victim with significant injuries including broken bones and knife wounds. He was subsequently taken to the hospital for treatment.%%UKNIP_TAG_27%% %%UKNIP_TAG_28%%%%UKNIP_TAG_29%% %%UKNIP_TAG_30%% %%UKNIP_TAG_31%%Inside the address, 13 men and two women, aged between 24 and 53, were located and arrested for offences including kidnap.%%UKNIP_TAG_32%% %%UKNIP_TAG_33%%%%UKNIP_TAG_34%% %%UKNIP_TAG_35%% %%UKNIP_TAG_36%%Also found inside were several knives and machetes.%%UKNIP_TAG_37%% %%UKNIP_TAG_38%%%%UKNIP_TAG_39%% %%UKNIP_TAG_40%% %%UKNIP_TAG_41%%Investigations found the trio had targeted the victim after suspecting him of smashing one of Akbar’s car windows.%%UKNIP_TAG_42%% %%UKNIP_TAG_43%%%%UKNIP_TAG_44%% %%UKNIP_TAG_45%% %%UKNIP_TAG_46%%Rafiq and Safeer were arrested shortly after the incident however Akbar avoided arrest and was found in a flat in Sherd House, Luton, five months later.%%UKNIP_TAG_47%% %%UKNIP_TAG_48%%%%UKNIP_TAG_49%% %%UKNIP_TAG_50%% %%UKNIP_TAG_51%%Detective Constable Adam Geary, from Bedfordshire Police, said: “This is one of the most disturbing acts of violence I have come across and is truly shocking incident which involved the victim suffering immensely.%%UKNIP_TAG_52%% %%UKNIP_TAG_53%%%%UKNIP_TAG_54%% %%UKNIP_TAG_55%% %%UKNIP_TAG_56%%“The attack that Akbar, Rafiq and Safeer undertook was brutal to the extreme; they are clearly both incredibly dangerous men who have no place in society and it is good news that they have pleaded guilty to the offences.%%UKNIP_TAG_57%% %%UKNIP_TAG_58%%%%UKNIP_TAG_59%% %%UKNIP_TAG_60%% %%UKNIP_TAG_61%%“We won’t tolerate violence such as this in Bedfordshire. Anyone involved in such abhorrent behaviour can expect to be apprehended and put before the courts.”%%UKNIP_TAG_62%% %%UKNIP_TAG_63%%%%UKNIP_TAG_64%% %%UKNIP_TAG_65%% %%UKNIP_TAG_66%%Akbar, Rafiq and Safeer will be sentenced at the same court on 13 January 2023.%%UKNIP_TAG_67%% %%UKNIP_TAG_68%%%%UKNIP_TAG_69%% %%UKNIP_TAG_70%% %%UKNIP_TAG_71%%For more information about the response to organised crime in Bedfordshire and where to get support, visit Bedfordshire Against Violence and Exploitation (BAVEX)%%UKNIP_TAG_72%% %%UKNIP_TAG_73%%%%UKNIP_TAG_74%%