Violent kidnappers are sent to prison

A LOAN shark and his enforcer were on Thursday convicted for their involvement in the kidnap of an East Ham man. The 58-year-old from Katherine Road was subjected to a punishment beating in some woods. Then his home was put under surveillance before he wa

A LOAN shark and his enforcer were on Thursday convicted for their involvement in the kidnap of an East Ham man.

The 58-year-old from Katherine Road was subjected to a punishment beating in some woods. Then his home was put under surveillance before he was taken hostage and attacked again.

Last week Karl Gordon (right), 39, was sentenced to eight years in prison. Majid Tubassum, 32, received ten years.

The two men became known to the victim, whose identity is being withheld, after he borrowed various sums of money from Tubassum, the loan shark, and then wasn't able to pay back the eventual total that, due to huge interest charges, reached in the region �250,000.

The hostage started taking out the money in 2006 and stopped paying in 2007. This led to intimidation, mainly by Gordon, culminating in a punishment beating in woods in Essex in July 2007.

The charges faced by both men were conspiracy to commit blackmail, conspiracy to commit kidnap, conspiracy to commit false imprisonment, causing grievous bodily harm with intent, blackmail, burglary, kidnapping and two counts of false imprisonment.

Full story in this week's Recorder