Five sentenced after kidnap victim's desperate escape leads him straight to police officers

Five people have been sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court for their roles in the kidnap and violent abuse of a man in Lincoln after he was lured to an address in Market Rasen.

Lincolnshire Police said the five were sentenced on Friday, August 28, when the court heard how the victim was targeted and subjected to a terrifying ordeal amid continuing personal matters linked to a past relationship breakdown.

Police said once the victim arrived at the address in Market Rasen on July 4, 2025, it became clear he was being held against his will and was unable to leave.

Waiting for him were Brad'Lee Ranyard, Nathan Gladwell, Jackson Nicholson, Craig Ranyard and Danielle Thompson, said police who continued that for hours the victim endured violence and intimidation. “He was repeatedly assaulted, threatened, humiliated and tormented by his captors, while those involved filmed the abuse on their mobile phones and laughed as it unfolded.”

The victim was held at the Market Rasen address until the following day when the victim was forced into the back of an Isuzu pickup truck by Brad'Lee Ranyard and Jackson Nicholson, said police. During the journey, he was threatened and made to sit between his captors.

He was driven along back roads before being taken to a property on Portland Street in Lincoln, where he was again held against his will.

However, a few hours later the victim seized an opportunity to escape.

Lincolnshire Police have released CCTV footage showing the victim's escape from the Portland Street property and shows him climbing hurriedly from a window before jumping into a nearby tree and running into the street in a desperate bid for freedom, as well as and the subsequent arrests of the offenders.

They said: “As the victim made his escape, a marked Lincolnshire Police vehicle turned into Portland Street. The victim ran directly towards the vehicle, stepping in front of it to bring it to a stop before jumping into the back seat and pleading with officers for help.”

He was taken to safety before providing an initial account of what had happened to him.

Meanwhile, CCTV captured the movements of those involved after the victim's escape. They left in an Isuzu pickup which was subsequently tracked, and armed officers stopped it on Washingborough Road, arresting Brad'Lee Ranyard and Jackson Nicholson.

Further enquiries were carried out to locate the others involved in the kidnap and assaults.

Nathan Gladwell, Craig Ranyard and Danielle Thompson were located and arrested at a property in Market Rasen at around 9.40pm that night and all five were later charged.

On Friday August 28, all five appeared at Lincoln Crown Court to be sentenced for their roles in the kidnap.

Lincolnshire Police said Brad'Lee Ranyard, 20, of Portland Street, Lincoln, was jailed for nine years and Jackson Nicholson, 25, of Lindsay Drive, Gainsborough, was also jailed for nine years after both were convicted of kidnap and pleaded guilty to false imprisonment.

Craig Ranyard, 42, of Barsey Walk, Horncastle, was sentenced to five years and three months' imprisonment, Danielle Thompson, 38, of Lime Walk, Market Rasen, was jailed for four years and nine months and Nathan Gladwell, 36, of Union Street, Market Rasen, was sentenced to three years and seven months' imprisonment after all three were convicted of false imprisonment.

All five were also made subject to an indefinite restraining order preventing contact with the victim and members of his family.

DC Liam Henderson, who led the investigation, said: "This was a sustained and deeply distressing ordeal in which a man was subjected to violence, threats and humiliation at the hands of people who appeared to find amusement in his suffering.

"The victim showed remarkable courage in seizing the opportunity to escape. The CCTV footage captures a desperate moment in which he quite literally risked everything to get away from those holding him captive.”

He added: "The impact on the victim has been significant, and our thoughts remain with him as he continues to recover from this traumatic experience.

"I would also like to commend the officers involved, whose actions that day ensured a vulnerable man was brought to safety and that those responsible were swiftly arrested and brought before the courts."