LEEDS COUPLE AND WOMAN JAILED FOR BRUTAL ABUSE OF MENTALLY VULNERABLE MAN
Leeds married couple Joyce Battensby, aged 54, and the couple Stephen Wilson, aged 42, and Lisa Wilson, aged 41, have been sentenced to a total of 12 years in jail for a series of heinous offences committed against a man with learning difficulties.The incidents occurred over approximately ten weeks from May to July 2013.
The victim was lured into a house in the East End Park area of Leeds where he was forced to strip and lie on a bed.
His hands and feet were tied with rope, and the defendants took turns hitting him with a leather belt.
Prosecutor Gerald Hendron stated that during one assault, the defendants filmed the sexual assault on their mobile phones.
The trio also wore boxing gloves to repeatedly punch the victim, claiming they wanted to 'toughen him up' because he was a 'mummy’s boy.' All three defendants were convicted after a trial of several charges including false imprisonment, sexual assault, assault causing actual bodily harm, and three charges of affray.
Furthermore, on a different occasion, the victim was found naked outside a house, and upon returning inside, he was again subjected to physical assault with boxing gloves, causing visible bruising.
A member of the public eventually found the victim crying on a street bench, prompting police intervention.
The victim, who is in his thirties, told police of the abuse he had endured, stating that he was afraid and hesitant to tell others because he was frightened.
He described these individuals as his first friends and found it difficult to make new friends.
Sentencing judge Penelope Belcher described the offenders' actions as 'systematic bullying and abuse of a vulnerable victim' and emphasized the nastiness of the crimes.
As part of their sentence, each defendant will be on the sex offender register for life and are banned from contacting the victim through indefinite restraining orders.
The case was widely reported and highlighted the severity and brutality of the offences committed.
