Six men were jailed for more than 70 years combined for subjecting their victim to a three-day 'sadistic' kidnap and torture, repeatedly stabbing and burning their victim in Cowley , Uxbridge .

Darren Vassell, 35, of St Luke Close, Cowley, pleaded guilty to kidnap, blackmail, two counts of false imprisonment and causing grievous bodily harm. He was sentenced to a total of 18 years imprisonment.

His brother, Marvin Vassell, 40, also of St Luke Close, Cowley , pleaded guilty to blackmail, false imprisonment and causing grievous bodily harm. He was jailed for a total of 13 years and six months.

Derek Johnston, 40, St Christopher Road, Cowley, pleaded guilty to kidnap, blackmail, two counts of false imprisonment and causing grievous bodily harm. He was sentenced to 21 years imprisonment.

Aaron Ellis, 22, of Chestnut Avenue, West Drayton , pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and causing grievous bodily harm. He was jailed for a total of nine years.

The other men were found guilty on Monday, January 25.

Jamal McLaughlin, 34, Gravesend Road, Shepherd's Bush , was found guilty of kidnap, blackmail, false imprisonment. He was sentenced to a total of six years imprisonment.

Carlton Rodney, 50, of Charles Road, Ealing , was found guilty of blackmail and sentenced to a total of four years.

Rodney was found not guilty of kidnap and blackmail.

The gang snatched the victim, Mohammed Mirza, from Kimms Kutts barber salon in Hounslow , on Thursday, 18 June, 2015.

Two months earlier, Vassell had planted a large package of "skunk" at Mr Mirza's former workplace, Shine Salon in Hounslow, to "give him an excuse" to demand money, a court heard.

Johnston and McLoughlin purchased fried chicken from a KFC in Greenford while Vassell set a £3,500 ransom for Mr Mirza.

He then carried out a three-day torture ordeal during the Holy month of Ramadan as Mirza fasted.

Darren Vassell aka 'Biggs', Derek Johnston, Jamal McLaughlin and Carlton Rodney demanded money over a perceived debt and forced the victim to get inside a van they had driven to the barber's shop.

The incident was captured by a CCTV camera from a nearby convenience store.

The victim was driven around the area for several hours as the gang made demands and threats to his life were made, unless £2,500 was paid to 'Biggs'.

Stabbed and hacked

But This was just the beginning of a terrifying three-day ordeal.

The man was eventually taken to a house on St Lukes Close, Cowley, Uxbridge, where his hands were bound together with electrical wires.

It was here that the Vassell brothers, Darren and Martin, Johnston and Ellis began a sadistic and sustained assault.

The victim was repeatedly hit around the head and body with an iron bar and a computer monitor was thrown at his head.

Ellis heated a metal fork on a gas hob and repeatedly burning the victim's legs.

The brothers took turns stabbing and hacking the victim with kitchen knives, flaying skin from his arms. The force used was so overwhelming that it snapped the blade of a bread knife, which was later recovered from the scene.

On the morning of Saturday, June 20 2015, acting on intelligence gathered by the Human Trafficking and Kidnap Unit, armed officers from the Met's Specialist Firearms Command entered the house and recovered the victim .

Neighbours reported seeing police in St Peter's Road that Saturday and heard a gunshot, when an officer unintentionally fired a gun.

No one was injured as a result of this and, as a matter of routine, the Directorate of Professional Standards were informed.

London Ambulance Service took the man to Hillingdon Hospital , for treatment to his injuries, before being discharged several days later. He is still recovering from his ordeal now.

Darren Vassell was injured and told an ambulance team: "Oi, wipe my arse, feels like I've got some s*** in it" as they transported him to the hospital.

Once they arrived he said: "To be honest, I'm not a bad guy. The geezer owed me money, he didn't pay.

"It seemed worse than it is."

'Violent and sadistic torture'

The Vassell brothers were arrested that day , Johnston was arrested the next day and Ellis on June 24, 2015.

Subsequent enquiries led to the arrest of McLaughlin on August 26 2015 and Rodney the following day.

Four of the men, including two brothers had pleaded guilty in October 2015.

The conviction of the six men follows an investigation by the Met's Human Trafficking and Kidnap Unit.

Sentencing the gang to a total of 71 and a half years at the Old Bailey, Judge John Bevan QC said: "I'm not going to repeat the appalling and disgusting facts as outlined by the Crown.

"Bullies tend to be cowards and this exhibition of cruelty is a truly shocking example of sadistic behaviour amounting to torture.

"Darren Vassell selected Mr Mirza deliberately by effectively planting an amount of cannabis on him, in what became an excuse to exercise your enjoyment of depraved violence."

Detective Sergeant Tim Mustoe, from the Met's Organised Crime Command, said: "These men subjected their victim to a violent and sadistic torture over a sustained period.

"I hope today's sentences bring the victim some solace and reassure the public that the Met will relentlessly pursue those who commit crime."