Man mistakenly kidnapped and threatened with gun 'would have been killed' but for escape

The victim in his 20s told The News he has been “traumatised” after kidnappers “got the wrong person” when he was bundled into the boot of a car at the junction of New Road and Ernest Road, Fratton, on Thursday (June 26) around 9.40pm by three men in balaclavas and gloves.

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The man, who was visiting a friend, said he was driven to Portsea after the ambush. “They smacked me with a gun to the side of my head and a knife was pressed into my back and ribs and they beat me up,” he said.

The gang then drove the victim back to the address in New Road with him pleading to his attackers en route. “I said, ‘I don’t live (at the address)...you’ve got the wrong person’. It was a case of mistaken identity. They were looking for a person on the run and got me when they saw me come out of the house,” he said.

“They were asking me for information about this guy. Unfortunately I got caught up in it. They came to do a job to end someone’s life.”

Once back in New Road the gang tried to force entry to the house while holding the victim before he took his opportunity to escape. “I started screaming and making a lot of commotion so people in the street would hear me and look out their windows,” he said.

“Two of the men ran off and the other one tried to grab me back into the car…we fought on New Road but I managed to get away. I would have been killed if I didn’t get away.”

The man said he opted not to go to hospital but suffered pain and bruising from the beatings he took - and was now struggling mentally. He added: “It’s left me traumatised and suffering with PTSD. I can’t even go out. I’m constantly worried about my safety.”

It’s understood ANPR cameras flagged the car in Watford after leaving Portsmouth and had initially been flagged in London.

Chief Inspector Sarah Nicholson, District Commander for Portsmouth, said: “We want to reassure people that we are taking this incident very seriously and doing everything we can to identify those involved.

“Our officers are carrying out a number of enquiries, including at the address and in the local area. If you live nearby and have any concerns, please speak to them.

“Equally, we want to hear from anyone with information that may help in progressing our enquiries. If you know something about what happened, please speak to us.”

Anyone with information should call police on 101, quoting the crime reference number 44250282969.