Locations
St Mary's Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO14 & Brook Close, Swanmore SO32
Description
A man and a woman from Southampton and Swanmore have been sentenced to a total of 27 years in prison for the false imprisonment of a man in Waterlooville.
Sean David Perry, 37, of St Marys Road, Southampton, and Caprice Martine Buddle, 25, of Brook Close, Swanmore, appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday (4 November) for sentencing. Perry pleaded guilty to the charges against him on the first day of his trial, while Buddle was found guilty by a jury in May.
Perry was sentenced to 17 years in prison for conspiracy to rob, false imprisonment, conspiracy to commit fraud, assault by penetration and causing actual bodily harm.
Buddle was sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy to rob, false imprisonment, conspiracy to commit fraud and possession of a Class A drug.
The court heard how the victim, a man in his 30s, started talking to Buddle online in the spring of 2019. The victim met up with Buddle in person a number of times.
On May 5, Buddle lured the victim to an address on Thrush Walk in Waterlooville, where he was later confronted by two men who spent hours physically, verbally and sexually abusing him.
During this time, the victim was hit with a stool, kicked, and forced to drink cleaning fluid. He was made to hand over his phone, wallet, bank cards and pin numbers.
The jury heard how the victim was then blindfolded, put into the back of a vehicle and driven around for some time before being left at the side of a road. Recognising where he was, he was able to run home and call police.
Based on initial information, officers were able to locate Buddle at an address in Havant, where they arrested her that day.
Perry was arrested several days later and a lengthy and complex investigation involving DNA, CCTV, phone and bank card analysis, led to the pair being charged. They pleaded not guilty, however a jury found them guilty of all offences after less than an hour and a half of deliberation.
A 26-year-old man from London, 38-year-old man from Fareham and 27-year-old man from Winchester were also arrested in connection with this incident and have since been released from police custody with no further action being taken against them.
Detective Constable Emily Dummer, of Hampshire Constabularys Eastern Operation Amberstone team, said: The victim in this case was subjected to a harrowing and traumatic ordeal which lasted over several hours. While nothing will ever be able to take that away, I am pleased that Perry and Buddle will now face the consequences of their despicable actions and spend a significant amount of time in prison for what they have done.
I would like to commend the victims incredible courage throughout the investigation and court process, without which we would not have been able to secure this outcome. As a result of his bravery, Perry and Buddle are now in a place where they will not be able to inflict such horrific abuse to anyone else.
We hope that this sentence sends a strong message to the public that we will do all in our power to protect and support victims of abuse, while relentlessly pursuing offenders.
For advice about how to keep yourself safe when communicating with people online and via social media, visit the Get Safe Online website: https://www.getsafeonline.org/
If you have experienced anything similar or become the victim of such a crime, please get in touch with us via 101 or online. Always call 999 in an emergency.
If you do not feel comfortable speaking to us, there are other independent support agencies out there that can help.