Three people jailed for more than 18 years following false imprisonment in Winsford

Three people who held a man against his will and assaulted him at a flat in Winsford have been jailed for more than 18 years.

Millie McGreavy, Joshua Hastie and Reece Jackson were all sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Monday 19th October having previously pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and assault.

Jackson, 35, of Austin Close in Winsford was jailed for seven years and six months; McGreavy, 28, of Launceston Close in Winsford was sentenced to 70 months in prison; and Hastie, 33, of Weaver Grove, Winsford, was jailed for five years.

All three defendants were also handed indefinite restraining orders to prevent them from contacting the victim.

The case against the trio began at around 2.30pm on Tuesday 27th January when police were contacted by the mother of a man in Winsford.

The woman reported that her son had disappeared and she had received a number of messages and phone calls from an unknown person threatening to harm him.

The offenders had demanded the woman meet them at Knights Grange and hand over £2,000 or her son would be killed and ‘chopped up’.

An investigation into the reports was launched and a number of searches were undertaken.

Shortly after 10pm on 27th January, a resident from Hemswell Close, Winsford, contacted police and reported that an unknown man had attended her address stating that he had been kidnapped and was too scared to leave the property.

Officers attended and on arrival it was confirmed to be the same person.

When spoken to by officers the man stated that McGreavy, Hastie and Jackson had attended his home at around 3am on 27 January and forced him into the back of a black vehicle.

He had his hood pulled over his face and was then driven to an unknown flat where he was placed on a chair with his legs tied to the chair legs and his arms tied in front of him. He was then systematically attacked by McGreavy, Hastie and Jackson.

This included being hit with a metal bar, having his head forcibly pushed into a bath full of water and having ammonia poured into his mouth. Thankfully, the victim managed to escape the flat after around 19 hours.

Following the allegations a manhunt was launched to locate the trio.

Hastie was located in the local area after being spotted fleeing the scene by an attending officer. Meanwhile, Jackson and McGreavy where both located in Grimsby on Monday 2nd February.

During questioning all three defendants answered no comment to all the questions put to them by officers. Despite their silence they were all charged in relation to the incident.

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Neil Mooney, of Northwich CID said:

“Firstly, I would like to recognise the dedication and determination of the officers in this case. Thanks to the comprehensive evidential package they provided, including video interview evidence, witness statements, identification evidence, and digital materials, the defendants had no option but to admit their guilt.

“I would also like to recognise the bravery of the victim. To be forcibly held against your will, tied to a chair and repeatedly attacked must have been terrifying and something that nobody should ever have to experience.

“While he will never be able to forget what happened to him that day, I hope the sentences handed to McGreavy, Hastie and Jackson will provide him with some closure.”

Pictured - Joshua Hastie, Millie McGreavy and Reece Jackson.