A gang and its drill musician ringleader that tortured a 16-year-old boy in a ‘violent and humiliating’ ordeal have been jailed for 23 years.

Isaac Donkoh, a drill music artist who was from Newham, was sentenced along with two 16-year-old and two 14 year-old boys who can’t be named because of their ages.

DCI Jim McKee said: “This was an extremely violent incident, which has had a profoundly distressing impact on the victim and his family.

“While the physical scars of that night have started to heal, I believe the psychological impact on the victim has been lasting.

“Donkoh fronted drill music videos for his gang which goaded rivals and recruited boys as young as 14 to commit serious violence.”

Donkoh, 22, roped in one of the 16-year-olds, who knew the victim, and the teenager arranged to meet him in Gordon Road, Barking on August 2.

After the victim turned up a dark blue Ford Mondeo pulled up with Donkoh driving and the four other youths in the passenger seats.

The victim was punched and ordered to get in.

He was threatened with a machete and two plastic bags were put over his head and secured with an elastic band.

The victim stated in court that at this point, “I thought they were probably gonna kill me.”

On arrival at the home of one of the 14-year-old, the victim endured a violent and humiliating ordeal for about two hours during which he was forced to strip naked whilst Donkoh filmed him on his iPhone and threatened to ‘cut him up’ if he refused.

The gang hit him with a metal pole in the face, back, legs and arms. His hair was cut with scissors and he was slapped in the face, forced to kneel and kicked in the head.

Donkoh then tried pouring boiling water over the victim’s head, scalding his feet and causing serious injury.

He was forced to swallow a cannabis joint, kicked in the face and threatened with scissors, all of which Donkoh filmed on his phone.

The victim was then forced to call his parents and beg for £1,500 ransom money.

A bag was then placed back over his head and he was ordered not to speak to police. He was taken back out to the car and released nearby.

An investigation was launched and quickly identified the gang.

One of the 16-year-olds had kept the victim’s iPhone and on arrest tried to hide the attack telling police he found the phone in the street.

Two weeks after the ordeal, the victim was contacted on Snapchat, and told Donkoh wanted him to drop the charges and not show up in court - offering to give him £5,000.

DCI McKee said: “Removing Donkoh from the streets of Newham has done a great deal to reduce serious violence in the borough, as we identified a direct link between his drill videos which glorified violence and shootings and stabbings on the streets.”

All five pleaded or were found guilty of kidnap, false imprisonment, GBH and other offences at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday.

Donkoh, of Ixworth Place, Chelsea, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap, falsely imprison and blackmail, to causing GBH, perverting the course of justice by offering money for a witness and perverting the course of justice by attempting to persuade a witness. He was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years.

A 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and perverting the course of justice by offering money for a witness and was found guilty of conspiracy to falsely imprison and conspiracy to blackmail. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years.

The second 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to falsely imprison and conspiracy to blackmail. He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years.

The 14-year-old boys pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to falsely imprison and were found guilty of conspiracy to blackmail. They were sentenced to two-and-a-half years each.