Four men have been convicted following the brutal assault and kidnap of two men in Newcastle. 

 Egidijus Savickas, 28, of Bootle, Merseyside, and Dovydas Smilginis, 34, London, were found guilty following a trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Tuesday (12 September). 

The jury found them guilty of two counts of kidnapping, causing grievous bodily harm with intent, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, having an article with a blade or point and having an offensive weapon. 

Modestas Stokus, 31, of Dudley, and Mohamed Nasar, 39, of Birmingham, pleaded guilty to the same offences at the start of a trial in July 2023. 

(L-R) Egidijus Savickas, Dovydas Smilginis, Modestas Stokus and Mohamed Nasar (Staffordshire Police).

On the evening of 19 December 2022, the defendant's travelled from different parts of the country and met close to where they were meeting two victims in Chesterton. The four men had planned to kidnap and assault the two men. 

Stoskus met the two of them and they went with him to his car. The two men were not expecting any trouble. However, the car was driven a short distance to a secluded road, Meadow Street, surrounded by industrial buildings – where the others were waiting. It had been pre-selected by the defendants' group and it was the ideal location to do what they did next. 

Once the car got there, the doors were opened, the two victims were sprayed in the eyes with pepper spray and they were dragged out. They were set upon with bats and knives. They were bound with duct tape and both of the victims were interrogated.  

In December 2022, the defendants travelled to Chesterton and began their plan to kidnap and assault the two men (Staffordshire Police).

The two victims were put into the boots of two cars, which drove off. One of the victims, less badly injured than his friend, managed to break out during the journey and get away. He made it to a house and the occupants got help. He had bruising to his head, face and shoulder.  

The other victim barely survived. He was seriously injured and was dumped, tied up with duct tape, in a residential street in the middle of the night. Luckily, a member of the public, noticed a body in the road and got help.

He had extensive bruising to his upper thighs, arms and shoulders, a deep cut to his shoulder, a stab wound to his right thigh, a broken leg and a broken arm. He needed surgery for his fractures and was admitted to intensive care. He was treated for sepsis and kidney failure. He wasn't discharged from critical care until 5 February this year. 

Staffordshire Police arrested Savickas, Smilginis, Stokus, Nasar and another man between December 2022 and February 2023. 

The men will be sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on a date to be set (Nub News).

Detective Inspector Ian Fitzgerald, of the Major Investigations Department, said: "The defendants, who were all in it together, savagely attacked the two men. One of them was nearly killed. They were seriously assaulted with weapons, trussed and bound, bundled into car boots and driven away to be dumped. This was a particularly brutal attack."

"My team has worked extremely hard to identify and bring the offenders before the courts and see them held accountable for their actions. It is important that our communities know that we treat these incidents seriously and have their safety in mind"

The men will be sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on a date to be set. 

READ MORE: Royal Stoke given permission to keep 'temporary' waiting area for a further three years 

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