A sadistic teenager who tortured a paralysed Peterhead man on a video call to an English drugs gang was detained for six years and eight months today.
Jack Cleary tipped the man from his wheelchair and stabbed him in the right leg with a knife before pouring salt in the wound.
Cleary, who was aged just 18 at the time, threatened to stab his victim in the eyes with hypodermic needles and struck him with a baseball bat as he lay on the floor of a flat in Peterhead.
After an hours-long ordeal, the attacker robbed him of a mobile phone, bank card and medication, but returned two days later with an accomplice to inflict further violence.
Ewan Hardie, who joined Cleary for the second assault on the same man, was jailed for six years and nine months today.
‘Extreme violence’
During the follow-up attack, their victim was pulled from his wheelchair and dragged along the ground with a belt around his neck until he blacked out.
He was struck on the head and body with a knife and Cleary threatened to cut off his ear and pulled out his catheter.
A judge said “extreme violence” was used against the victim who was obviously incapacitated and in his home where he was entitled to feel secure.
Lord Armstrong told Cleary, now aged 20, that had he been sentencing someone who was not a young person the sentence would have been significantly higher.
The judge said that the violence has had “devastating and ongoing long-term negative consequences” for the victim.
Cleary, formerly of Towerhill, Kirby, in Lancashire, earlier admitted assaulting the man – who was aged 52 – on May 26 and 27 2022 at a flat on the Longate to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of his life.
During it he repeatedly demanded £2,000 or drugs, ejected him from his wheelchair, stabbed him on the leg with a knife and poured salt on the wound, repeatedly threatened to stab him in the eyes with hypodermic needles and struck him on the body with needles and a bat.
Cleary and Hardie also pled guilty to attacking the victim on May 29 and 30 in 2022 at the same flat to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and the danger of his life and robbing him of money and a key.
They entered the flat uninvited, put a belt around his neck, restricting his breathing, pulled him from his wheelchair, dragged him along the floor using the belt, repeatedly struck him on the head and body with a knife, repeatedly threatened to stab him in the eyes, whipped him with the belt, removed his catheter, repeatedly punched, kicked and stamped on his head and demanded money and drugs.
The court heard that their victim suffered a spinal injury in 2021 and is paralysed from the waist down and depends on his wheelchair.
Tortured Peterhead man on video call to English drugs gang
During the first attack by Cleary he arrived at the flat and the man opened the door after he heard knocking.
Advocate depute Kath Harper said: “The accused walked into the locus uninvited, sat of the sofa and made a video call to four males with London or Liverpudlian accents, who instructed him to torture the complainer until he came up with either drugs or money.”
Cleary repeatedly asked him for drugs or cash but after being in the property for about four hours tipped the man’s wheelchair backwards leaving him on the living room floor.
The prosecutor said: “The accused repeatedly questioned the complainer about where the drugs were and began to assault him while those on the video call watched on.”
A health worker found the injured and upset victim about noon on May 27. He revealed that someone had pushed their way in, beaten him up, pulled him out his wheelchair, hit him with a baseball bat and stabbed him.
Victim’s ordeal not over
Cleary returned with Hardie about midnight two days later.
Once in the flat Cleary removed his belt and it around the victim’s neck. He pulled him from his wheelchair using the belt and dragged him along the floor before the victim lost consciousness.
When he regained consciousness, Cleary slashed him on the right temple with a knife and then grabbed his right ear and threatened to cut it off.
He tried to stab him in the face and the victim suffered injuries to his arms as he tried to protect himself. Cleary then whipped him with the belt and kicked and punched him.
Hardie, 52, formerly of Leask Avenue, Peterhead, kept shouting: “Where are the drugs, where is the money?”.
He searched the flat looking for drugs and money. The victim later realised that £110 was missing.
After the pair left he shouted for help to passersby who saw him in his wheelchair, bleeding from a head wound. They called an ambulance and police.
‘Enmeshed in the drugs underworld’
When Cleary was arrested he was found to have bloodstained trousers. Spots of blood matched the DNA of the victim.
Defence counsel Tony Lenehan KC said Cleary was a young man who had become “enmeshed in the drugs underworld and was guided by others”.
He said: “He behaved in a dreadful manner. There is no question about that. There is remorse shown.”
Solicitor advocate Jim Stephenson, for Hardie, who has 150 previous convictions, said: “He has been blighted by drink and drugs. He fully understands he will receive a custodial sentence for this matter.”
Lord Armstrong told Cleary that the sentence he imposed today will start at the end of a prison term he is currently serving in England.
