Torture hell of teen

Horrific burns found on the victim.

FOUR Oldham teens have been accused of kidnapping and torturing a 15 year old boy with a hot iron, then rubbing salt and lemon into the burns.

The victim was allegedly forced into an address in Werneth last Monday, repeatedly punched in the face, stripped, cut with a knife and stood on by all four. The boy claims he was tied with tape while all four brutally assaulted him.

The four — all Asians aged 15 and 16, three schoolboys and one at college — are then alleged to have taken turns burning the victim, also Asian, with a hot iron on different parts of his naked flesh. Afterwards they ate a meal while the victim was still in the house. The boy received burns to his back and arms that required hospital treatment.

The defendants - too young to be identified - appeared at Oldham Magistrates Court on Friday charged with kidnap and assault causing grieous bodily harm.

The accused - who knew the victim well - sat expressionless as the prosecution listed the barbaric allegations. Their families watched from the back of court as two pleaded not guilty and the others didn’t enter a plea.

Magistrates heard when the victim got home after his ordeal he told his parents he had been in a fight - and didn’t tell them the full extent of his injuries. His kept the secret for 36 hours before a pastoral worker at the victim’s school saw the huge burns and told his parents and police, leading to the arrests.

Magistrates passed the case to the Crown Court due to their severity. The four will appear at Manchester Crown Court on October 23.

Det insp Lewis Hughes said: “We are satisfied all those involved have been arrested. We urge the community to avoid speculation.”