Three jailed for violent kidnap
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EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE
Mohammed Hussain, 24, of Harborough Avenue, Sheffield, and Toma Vitkauskaite, 26, of Eppleworth Road, Cottingham, both pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and assault on the first day of trial. Emilio Romano, 25, of Hadleigh Close, Hull, had previously pleaded guilty to the same offences at an earlier hearing.
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All three were sentenced to six years’ imprisonment at Hull Crown Court on Monday, 16 February 2026.
The trial had initially been adjourned a few days after it began due to unforeseen circumstances, with proceedings rescheduled to allow the case against a fourth defendant to continue at Hull Crown Court on Monday, 5 January 2026.
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Armantas Sauklys, 39, of Eppleworth Road, Cottingham, was charged with false imprisonment, conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm. Following a seven-day trial, the jury returned unanimous not guilty verdicts on all counts on Tuesday, 13 January. He has since been released from custody, with no further action to be taken.
On Thursday, 19 June 2025, our Major Crime Team launched an investigation after we received an anonymous call of a third-party report claiming a man had been kidnapped and violently assaulted by a group of people the previous day.
Officers were immediately deployed to the home address of the named individual, where a man answered the door and was shown to have visible serious injuries. He was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment to pneumonia and other injuries which left him in life threatening condition for five days.
Following initial enquiries, officers were informed that the victim had been contacted the same day by a woman known to him asking to come round to her home on Eppleworth Road in Cottingham. The woman was later identified as 26-year-old Vitkauskaite.
Around three hours later, he attempted to leave the property but was grabbed and dragged into a nearby garage service pit by a group of men who Vitkauskaite had invited round. Over the next few hours, he was subjected to a violent series of assaults with weapons including a hammer and left imprisoned for approximately eight hours overnight.
At approximately 7pm on Thursday, 19 June 2025, officers from our Armed Policing Unit were deployed to the property on Eppleworth Road after receiving the initial report. Seven men and a woman were subsequently arrested at the scene and upon searching the individuals, a large quantity of cash along with a balaclava was discovered.
Officers conducted a further search of the property and multiple firearms and weapons were also located and seized across multiple different rooms in the house.
Our Digital Forensics Team examined the mobile phone of Vitkauskaite who first invited the man to her home address. During the examination, officers found videos that revealed the extent of the abuse he was subjected to.
Vitaukskaite, Sauklys, Hussain and Romano were brought into custody to be interviewed by detectives and later charged with their offences. Three of the men who were arrested at the scene have since been released without charge.
Following their guilty pleas, Hussain and Romano were remanded to prison and Vitkauskaite was released on conditional bail to await sentencing.
Detective Constable Simon Holmes, leading the investigation from our Major Crime Team said: “These individuals subjected a man to a horrific level of violence and trauma in a targeted and premeditated attack that left him in a life-threatening condition where he spent five days in critical condition as a result of his injuries.
“Despite the severity of the injuries he sustained, it is fortunate that man was able to leave the address, and thankfully, he has since made a full recovery from his injuries. I am pleased that those responsible will face the consequences for the role they played in this harrowing kidnap and attack.
“The weapons located from the property that night highlighted the level of injury they were willing and intending to further inflict on the man if he was not able to escape.
“We will not tolerate violent incidents of this nature, and our teams work tirelessly to remove dangerous offenders from our streets and protect our communities.”
If you have any information, or concerns around crime in your area, please report it via our non-emergency number quoting 101. Always call 999 in an emergency or if a crime is ongoing.
Alternatively, you can also report information anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
