Pair jailed for holding UberEats driver hostage and attacking him with a knife

Two men have been jailed after an UberEats driver was tied up, held hostage and terrorised for more than 12 hours.

Mark Hart, 28, and Mark Raymond, 50, attacked their victim with a knife and a hammer at a house in Moss Side, Manchester, in April last year after inviting him inside to smoke cannabis.

The man attempted to leave after they mentioned smoking crack cocaine, but the pair threatened him with a knife and a fake toy gun and demanded he hand over £20, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

They then beat him with a hammer and forced him to strip naked before tying him up and wrapping tape around his eyes, ears and mouth.

The pair then took the victim’s credit card and bundled him into a cupboard where he remained from midnight until 2.30am.

Hart was incriminated by numerous voicemails sent to his ex-girlfriend in which he could be heard threatening the victim, the Manchester Evening News reported.

Hart’s ex-girlfriend phoned the police and officers found Raymond trying to clean up the scene while Hart cycled on the victim’s bicycle to withdraw cash.

Both men pleaded guilty to robbery and false imprisonment.

Hart was jailed for eight years and nine months after he was also found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon.

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Raymond was sentenced to eight years behind bars after also being convicted of supplying class B drugs.

Sentencing them, recorder Eric Lamb said: “You threatened him with knives, you threatened him with what he thought was a pistol, you threatened him with a hammer and forced him to strip naked.

“He believed he was going to die and his relief when the police arrived was telling – he said: ‘you have saved my life’. This was a joint enterprise with a common goal.”

Defending Hart, David Green said: “This was a man whose lifestyle was out of control and was the epitome of the tortuous circle of misery from hard drug use.

“He wishes he could take back what he did – he doesn’t seek to minimise his behaviour.”

Raymond’s lawyer Hunter Gray said: “He is remorseful and would wish to say how sorry he is for his actions.

“He has struggled to explain why he behaved that way. His life has been scarred by the persistent use of drugs, class B and class A.”

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