Four teens sentenced after Portsmouth kidnapping where man was taken to woods and had gun pointed to his head

Jake Guinelly, 19, of Suffolk Road in Southsea was one of the four sentenced after an 18-year-old man was kidnapped at around 10.15pm from Hartley Road in Portsmouth on Wednesday, January 10. The victim was tied to a tree in the woods in Denmead where a gun and knife were held to his head in what police described as an “incredibly traumatic event”.

The incident started when the victim was bundled into a white car by four people in balaclavas where he was blindfolded and assaulted with a taser before being driven to the woods. He was then left tied to the tree where he was was able to free himself and seek help with the police receiving the report of the kidnapping in the early hours of the next day.

The other three teenagers are unable to be named legally due to their age, with one 17-year-old from Portsmouth, and a 15 and 16-year-old from West Sussex also jailed.

Police were able to identify the culprits after initially focussing on a text message sent to the victims family from a number linked to the 17-year-old from Portsmouth. It was also discovered that an image of the victim had been posted to social media alongside two of the kidnappers which Sussex Police identified as the two boys from West Sussex.

Searches of one of the boys homes then led to the discovery of a knuckleduster and clothing relevant to the investigation. The other 15-year-old boys phone was also shown to be in Denmead the night of the offence.

On January 12 a white Ford Fiesta matching the description of the vehicle involved was stopped by police on Milton Road and the 17-year-old driver was arrested. His phone had messages to Guinelly that corresponded to the time of the kidnapping. When police searched Guinelly’s flat they found a machete, an axe, and cannabis.

Officer in the case, detective constable Amy Thatcher from the Eastern Area Investigations Team said: “This was an incredibly traumatic event for the eighteen year-old that these four teenagers targeted. I’m pleased that we were able to safeguard the victim and that our enquiries have led to this court result.

“These sentences send a clear message that this kind of serious violence is not tolerated in Portsmouth, or anywhere in Hampshire & on the Isle of Wight. I hope that this court result helps the man who was targeted to move on with his life in the knowledge that his attackers are now serving significant sentences.

“This was a complex investigation that required detailed digital and forensic examinations in order to identify those involved and their movements. I’d like to thank all those officers involved, including our colleagues in Sussex, who have helped us to secure these court results”.

A break down of the four convictions can be seen below:

• On Monday, March 25 at Portsmouth Crown Court the 17-year-old boy admitted kidnap, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and dangerous driving. He was subsequently jailed at the same court for a total of three years and eight months on Friday, September 20.
• On Monday, March 25 at Portsmouth Crown Court 19-year-old Jake Guinelly of Suffolk Road in Southsea admitted kidnap and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. On Monday, September 30 he was sentenced at the same court to three years and six months in prison.
• On Wednesday, March 27 at Portsmouth Crown Court a 15-year-old boy from West Sussex admitted kidnap, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possession of a knife, and possession of a knuckleduster. On Friday, September 20 the boy, who is now sixteen years-old, was jailed at the same court for two years and eight months.
• On Wednesday, July 17 a 15-year-old boy from West Sussex was found guilty of kidnap and assault occasioning actual bodily harm at Portsmouth Crown Court. He was jailed at the same court for four years at the same court on Friday, September 20.