Mark Pearce Jailed Four Years for Man's Naked Ransom Video Kidnapping

Mark Pearce, 41, has been sentenced to four years' imprisonment for his role in the kidnapping of a man from outside his Greater Manchester residence. The victim was forcibly taken and compelled to film naked ransom videos as part of the extortion plot.

The court heard that the abduction, which occurred on 27 October 2022, involved the victim being bundled into a van. Subsequent demands for a £10,000 ransom were made, accompanied by video evidence of the victim in a distressed state, stripped naked. During the ordeal, the victim sustained a broken nose.

Police located the van and rescued the victim following a public appeal. Pearce was apprehended after his DNA was found on a piece of tape used to restrain the victim. He pleaded guilty to kidnap at an earlier hearing.

Two other individuals, Paul Newsham, 34, and a 17-year-old male who cannot be named for legal reasons, previously received sentences of seven years and five years respectively for their involvement in the incident.