Four men sentenced to 47 years for kidnap and torture

Four men have been given sentences totalling more than 47 years after they brazenly kidnapped a man in broad daylight in Brighton before beating him and sadistically torturing him.

William Westein, Regan White, Harry Avis and Stephen Marsh attacked David Martin and snatched him off the street in Chiddingly Close, Whitehawk, just before 4pm on Saturday 5 November 2022.

All four were jailed by Judge Christine Henson at Hove Crown Court this afternoon (Friday 17 October). The judge said that they were dangerous offenders and would serve extended sentences to protect the public.

Janet Weeks, prosecuting, told the court previously that the kidnappers, who were all wearing masks or balaclavas, forced Mr Martin into a black BMW in Chiddingly Close, Brighton.

Today, Judge Henson said: “The victim was subjected to violence from the moment you attacked him in the street and forced him into the BMW.

“The purpose of the violence was to extract information as to where drugs and / or cash was stored so you could have it.

“Your victim describes – after being grabbed and kicked to the ground – being driven around in the BMW for some time.

“Violence was used against your victim in the back of the BMW including repeated punching.

“There was also the threat of a blade –and something sharp pressed into your victim’s side in the BMW. He was instructed to keep his head down. Each of you were masked.

“Threats were made including that the attackers knew all about the victim, that he was going to be taken to a warehouse and kept for the weekend and that bad things would be done to him in the warehouse.”

Shortly afterwards, Mr Martin was bundled from the BMW into a white rental van and was stripped to the waist, had his hands cable-tied behind his back and was tortured until he gave up his address.

Miss Weeks told the court that the men punched, kicked and threatened Mr Martin, poured bleach over his wounds and held a knife to his throat before burgling his home and stealing £1,700.

Almost straight away, two burglaries were reported to the police, one in Sheridan Terrace, in Hove, and the other at Mr Martin’s home, in Bedford Square, Brighton.

The police quickly worked out that the addresses were both linked to the 46-year-old kidnapped man and went to the scene of each break in.

They found that the burglars had made an untidy search of both properties and forensic officers started the task of gathering evidence.

Judge Henson said that Harry Avis had viciously attacked and tortured Mr Martin in the back of the hire van.

The judge said: “During the false imprisonment, the treatment of your victim was sadistic and included threats to decapitate him while he was being beaten when hooded.

“Your victim was stripped naked to the waist and his hands cable-tied. Bleach was poured over his badly cut and grazed body.

“Saws, hacksaws, metal bars and thick bleach were used. I consider them to be highly dangerous weapons in the context of your offending and the facts and circumstances of this case.

“You eventually dumped the victim in that condition on a wet and cold November evening by the side of the road.”

Mr Martin was dumped by Queen’s Park, in North Drive, Brighton, about 90 minutes after he had been kidnapped – and a passerby phoned 999.

Sussex Police said: “A member of the public had found the man in the street, his clothes ripped and chemically discoloured, with a clear strong smell of bleach.

“As details emerged through useful witness and CCTV inquiries, a rental van was seen near by during initial reports of the victim being kidnapped.

“It was established the van had been involved and the driver was formally identified as Stephen Marsh, 42, of Firle Road, Brighton. Police arrested him in the early hours of Sunday 6 November 2022.

“Through inquiries that followed over the next few months, four further men were linked to the events of Saturday 5 November and attempts to locate and arrest them begun.

“On Tuesday 22 November 2022, William Westein, 29, of Shanklin Road, Brighton, was arrested.

“Frankie Whittington, 25, was later arrested on Friday 13 January 2023.

“Less than a month later, on Saturday 4 February, two further men, Harry Avis, 27, of Swanborough Drive, Whitehawk, and Regan White, 22, of Firle Road, Brighton, were also arrested.

“An additional 29-year-old man was interviewed in connection with the kidnap. However, he was released without charge.

“Following their arrests, Whittington, Avis and White were recalled to prison on a separate matter and Marsh and Westein were released on conditional bail while outstanding inquiries were undertaken.

“These inquiries included the DNA testing of items found inside the hired van.

“Forensic evidence was key to the investigation as swabs from the vehicle and items within it, such as a balaclava and a number of saws and knifes, returned DNA profiles from almost all of the men.

“The mounting evidence, including phone data, cell-site data, CCTV and witness accounts, led to all five men being charged on Wednesday 17 July 2024, with two counts of burglary, kidnap, false imprisonment and causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent.

“Whittington and White appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 21 August 2024 where they were both remanded in custody.

“The following day, Avis, Marsh and Westein also appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court. Avis and Marsh were bailed and Westein was remanded in custody.

“At Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 18 September 2024, White and Westein pleaded guilty to kidnap.

“At the same hearing, Avis, Marsh and Whittington pleaded not guilty to the offences and a trial was set. It began on Monday 27 January 2025 at Hove Crown Court.”

Avis failed to keep to his bail conditions and did not turn up for the start of his trial. Judge Henson issued a warrant for his arrest and he was picked up at the McDonald’s drive-through at Brighton Marina on Friday 31 January.

At the end of the three-week trial, on Friday 21 February 2025, the jury returned their verdicts. They found the defendants guilty of all charges.

Whittington, of Saunders Park View, Brighton, was acquitted – although by the time the trial had started, he was in Rochester Prison, serving a sentence for other another offence.

Marsh, Westein, Avis and White were remanded in custody – to wait in prison until their sentencing.

Today, Judge Henson said that she deemed all four men “dangerous” in that there was a significant risk that they would offend again and cause serious harm to members of the public.

As a result, she was required to impose an extended sentence. She told the men: “This means that each of you will each serve at least two thirds of your custodial term in custody before the Parole Board decides if it is safe to release you and on what terms.

“You will, on release, serve any remaining part of the custodial part on licence – and then be subjected to an extended licence.”

Judge Henson said that the sentences were the least that she could impose but she had a duty to protect the public.

William Westein was jailed for nine years and six months and ordered to serve an additional four years on licence, making a total sentence of 13 years and six months.

Regan White was jailed for seven years and three months and ordered to serve an additional four years on licence, making a total sentence of 11 years and three months.

Harry Avis was jailed for nine years and one month and ordered to serve an additional four years on licence, making a total sentence of 13 years and one month.

Stephen Marsh was jailed for eight years and ordered to serve an additional two years on licence, making a total sentence of 10 years.

Detective Sergeant Charles Lawrence said: “This brazen daylight kidnapping in Brighton has led to four men receiving substantial prison sentences.

“Each offender played a significant role in inflicting serious harm and distress on the victim who consequently sustained injuries from head to toe.

“This result was achieved through the collection of strong evidence, the tireless work of a dedicated investigative team and the courage of witnesses who came forward with vital information.

“Those who choose to harm others will be identified and we will always work to ensure they face the consequences of their actions.”

Judge Henson said: “It was a group activity and whether you were the actual person carrying out the violence matters very little. You were all in this together and there was violence was from the outset.

“Such was your confidence, this incident began in broad daylight in a residential area and clearly gave rise to anxious concern from residents who witnessed the beginning of the incident.

“It is obvious … the nature of the incident would have been highly traumatic (to the victim).

“The partner of the victim, who was with him at the time, has been caused significant anxiety, not least because during the incident it was clear you knew where she lived. Her home was ransacked during this incident.”

The judge also said that the offences – the kidnap, false imprisonment, the violent attacks and burglaries – had involved significant planning and premeditation.

She said: “Although there were obvious and glaring errors in your planning which led to your arrests, nevertheless you carried out a high degree of planning.

“You recruited a driver for your rental van – this was almost three weeks prior to the kidnap. A car was purchased for cash and not registered to any of you.”

Ultimately, the swift police response, detailed detective work and persuasive evidence brought all four men to justice.