A chilling ordeal unfolded in Stakeford, near Ashington, where a man was held captive and tortured for nearly two days by two so-called friends who believed he stole £120 from them.
Waterboarded, Beaten and More
Liam McHugh, 26, and Nathan Beecroft, 37, subjected their victim to horrifying abuse inside McHugh’s flat. They repeatedly waterboarded him—at least 20 times over 90 minutes—with a soaked towel. The violence didn’t stop there. They punched, kicked, and assaulted him with a metal bar, a cheese grater, cigarettes, and even a cup of hot tea. His head and eyebrows were shaved off, he was doused in paint stripper, and threatened with a bush cutter.
The Horrific Motive: £120 for Cocaine
The victim was a close friend and workmate who had been invited to live with McHugh. After a night of drinking and drug use on June 15 last year, he stole £120 to buy more cocaine. When McHugh discovered the theft, he attacked him, locked him in the bathroom, and called Beecroft to help. The pair then tried to extort £600 from the victim’s family, taking him out of the flat before returning to tie him up again.
Justice Served at Newcastle Crown Court
The nightmare ended when McHugh’s own mother alerted the police. Officers found the victim tied up with plastic wire, and the bedroom door barricaded with a mop. He suffered burns, bruises, lacerations, and skin irritation.
“When I was tied up and locked away I thought I was going to die,” the victim said in a harrowing statement. “I honestly did not think I was going to come out of it, it was very scary. I felt like a crash test dummy. They were just coming up with different ways to hurt me.” He added McHugh had once been his best friend, “like a brother.”
Both men were found guilty of false imprisonment at Newcastle Crown Court. McHugh was jailed for five years, and Beecroft for four years and nine months. Restraining orders banning them from contacting their victim were imposed for 10 years.
