A man broke his spine in a daring balcony leap to escape two thugs who tortured and threatened to rape him for his savings, a court heard. Reece Chambers, 34, and Callum Steffan, 22, were jailed for a total of more than 16 years at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday (May 20) after previously admitting imprisoning and attempting to violently extort £15,000 from their victim.
The ordeal began when the victim met the defendants at an East London pub, striking up conversation in the smoking area when he was asked ‘Did you call me a traveller?’. After chatting, they left the pub and the victim agreed to transfer £60 to Chambers so they could purchase more drinks. At Steffan’s address in Roman Road, in Tower Hamlets, the group continued drinking into the morning.
But things took a terrifying turn when they went inside a bedroom and Steffan produced a machete, threatening to kill the victim if he did not transfer his £15,000 bank savings. Along with Chambers, and another masked male, the men repeatedly punched him and chased him around the room with a knife until he felt like he could not breathe. They also made threats, like ‘Do you want me to f**k you?’ and ‘Send the f**king money over to my account now or I will kill you’, the court was told.
As the beating continued, the victim’s eye became so swollen he could not see, and even when he tried to transfer the funds, his pin did not work. Eventually the defendants let him use the toilet, with supervision, but he was able to take a chance and leap from the third-floor balcony onto the street below. “He said it was the most scared he had ever been,” said prosecutor Ms Nicole Shaw.
When police arrived, having been called by a member of the public, they found two Rambo-style knives and a black lock knife, apparently belonging to Steffan. Meanwhile, the victim was taken to hospital where he had a broken ankle, blood in his eye socket, and a wound to his right thigh. He also required surgery for fractures on his lower back.
On Tuesday, the court heard the victim still has nightmares and flashbacks of the incident, struggles with everyday tasks like cleaning and washing, and faces financial turmoil due to his inability to work. In a victim impact statement, he also said he felt ‘violated and angry’ after being kept against his will, and still cries himself to sleep from the ongoing pain of his injuries.
While Steffan’s behaviour was out of character, having picked up no previous convictions or cautions in his life, Chambers had multiple convictions for robbery and violence, the latest of which came in 2012. Roy Ledgister OBE, defending Steffan, said his client’s behaviour was ‘most unusual’, asking the judge to consider his traumatic upbringing and ADHD diagnosis.
Mr Ledgister said Steffan is ‘easily led’, and looked for guidance from male figures. The court also heard Steffan was made homeless as a 15-year-old, sofa-surfing until he was taken into care at the age of 16.
Steffan handed himself into police and made a full and frank admission.
“This is not someone who is entrenched in violence or crime, never even subject to police intelligence,” said Mr Ledgister, adding: “He had strong ambitions to parent his young son and break the cycle of neglect that marked his own childhood.”
Emma Heath, defending Chambers, said her client’s low IQ, low mental capacity, and history of self harm were relevant factors for the judge to consider. Ms Heath also argued Chambers’ attempts to minimise his role, as reported by a probation officer, could be attributed to the difficulty he has communicating due to his low intellect.
Both defendants were charged with false imprisonment, robbery, attempted robbery, causing grievous bodily harm, and making threats to kill, to which they pleaded guilty after being offered a less serious Section 20 wounding charge for the GBH offence.
‘Terrifying attack’
Deeming Chambers dangerous, due to his previous convictions for violence and robbery, Recorder James Willan KC handed him an extended sentence of eight years and four months, plus two years on extended license.
Due to his good character and remorse, Steffan was not labelled dangerous, and received a lesser sentence of five years and 11 months, without an extended license period.
“It was, on any view, a prolonged attack,” said the judge, “As you both rightly recognise, this would have been a terrifying attack for [the victim] who had no idea how or when this incident would end.”
Addressing their culpability for the balcony leap, Recorder Willan continued: “It was entirely foreseeable that in the face of this ordeal, [the victim] would try to escape in whatever way he could. The injuries from the fall therefore, I can, and do, take into account.
“After the escape you both took away bed sheets and set fire to them in the hope of destroying the evidence. There is no doubt a broken back with an impact on the ability to work is a very serious injury. This was a coordinated attack by two people in a private place, lasting a significant period of time using a combination of threats to kill and sustained violence.”
Family members and supporters of both men waved, blew kisses, and said ‘love you’ as the defendants were taken into the cells. Both are expected to use their time inside to address alcohol misuse issues.
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