Armed police find hostage being held for £300,000 ransom in back of van
A man kidnapped and held hostage by a notorious Irish gangster over a £300,000 debt was rescued by armed police during a dramatic raid on the caravan site where he was being held.
The victim was found in the back of a yellow Ford Transit van being driven out of the Smithy Fen site in Cambridgeshire by Darren McLean on July 16, 2020.
McLean, 38, is actually Ger Dundon, a member of Limerick’s infamous McCarthy-Dundon gang involved in a bitter feud which has seen at least 14 people shot dead in the city.
Body-worn CCTV footage shows him telling officers his ‘mate’ was in the back before they slid open the rear door to find the victim cowering on a mattress.
McLean, described by the judge as a ‘cruel and vicious’ career criminal, was found guilty of two charges of conspiracy to blackmail and one count of conspiracy to falsely imprison in January.
He was handed a 10-year sentence for those offences and an additional five years for unrelated matters at Wood Green Crown Court on Wednesday.
Jurors heard the victim and his brother had travelled to London from Stoke-on-Trent.
The pair were initially driven to a flat near Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in north London, where masked men took their phones, car keys and around £2,000 in cash.
They were held in several locations where they were ‘threatened with weapons, bound and blindfolded’ before being moved to Smithy Fen, prosecutor Anne Whyte KC said.
Over the next few days, they were subjected to increasingly terrifying threats, with menacing calls also made to their families, demanding sums of up to £300,000 to secure their release.
The court heard one of their captors said they would have to ‘start taking fingers off, while McLean brandished a gun saying he would ‘splatter their brains over the road’ if the ransom wasn’t paid.
His ordeal continued until July 16, when armed police swooped on the van as it was leaving the site.
Officers spotted McLean trying to destroy a phone later found to contain threatening messages and ransom demands.
Jailing him, Judge John Dodd told him: ‘Your behaviour was cruel and vicious.’
He accepted McLean had been acting under the directions of others, as he believed one of the victims had access to large amounts of money.
‘That does not excuse your conduct which was appalling, but it does provide some context for events that would otherwise be inexplicable.’
Five others were charged as part of the investigation, but McLean was the only one to be convicted.
Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Garry Jackson said: ‘This was a terrifying experience for the victims. It also had a profound impact on their family members and friends.
‘The investigation was incredibly complex and involved a number of police forces who supported our efforts, including the Metropolitan Police and Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
‘I would like to thank all of the officers and staff involved from Staffordshire for working tirelessly on the case. As a force we are committed to tackling and disrupting organised criminality.
‘We’re pleased that McLean will now be serving a substantial sentence which reflects the seriousness of this disturbing crime.’
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