Two men have been jailed after subjecting a man to a brutal six-hour ordeal.
Joshua Rice (right), 38, of Coalway Road, Coleford, and Andrew Rowbotham (left), 44, of no fixed abode, tortured their victim in July after accusing him of stealing cash they had given him to store at his home.
The victim, a man in his 20s, met Rice and Rowbotham through a mutual acquaintance in June 2025 and was "cuckooed" into storing an unknown quantity of money at his address.
On July 29, the pair ransacked his home. He was then told to drive the pair home, but was forced into the front passenger seat of the car during the journey where he was assaulted.
At Rice’s home, they continued to torture him, threatening to break his legs with a hockey stick, and holding a curved knife to his eye.
They demanded the names of his female relatives, threatened to rape and kill them, and later drove him to a picnic area in the Forest of Dean.
There, they zip-tied his hands, gagged him, blindfolded him, and forced him into a hole in the ground before covering him with black sheeting, which he described as a “body bag.”
The victim said: "They've taken away so much, I sometimes feel they did actually kill me.
"[It] was probably five to ten minutes but felt like a lifetime as they talked about killing me.
"They might not have murdered me, even though I could feel their threats were real enough, but due to the incident, I've sometimes felt so low I've wanted to take my own life."
A relative later reported the attack to police, and both men were arrested.
Weapons and items used in the assault were recovered from Rice’s home and the scene in the Forest of Dean.
Read more
Speed cameras questioned as drivers fined for ‘speeding’ at 72mph on M4
Prolific burglar jailed for break-ins in Cotswolds village and across three counties
Ex-partner who fractured woman's spine in front of children is jailed
Both men initially denied involvement, but later pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and making threats to kill.
At Gloucester Crown Court, Recorder Mawhinney sentenced Rice to four years and four months in prison, while Rowbotham, who showed some remorse and had “from time to time” tried to discourage Rice, received three years and seven months.
Both were given a five-year restraining order and were each ordered to pay £228 in costs to the victim.
Share