Torture trial accused: ‘It was a joke’

Horrific burns found on the victim.

A TEENAGE boy alleged to have been one of a group of five who subjected a youngster to a campaign of violence, abuse and humiliation told a trial jury he had nothing to do with it.

The 15 year old said he had never hurt or threatened the boy - and hadn’t been aware that any of his friends had either.

Asked by Robert Golinski, prosecuting at Manchester Crown Court, if wicked lies had been made up about him, he answered: “Yes, quite a few.”

Earlier he was asked whether he had ever blackmailed, attacked, assaulted him, cut him with a knife or branded him with a hot steam iron. He said no.

The jury had been told that in the final brutal act of the campaign against him in October, last year, the victim had been effectively kidnapped and tortured at the address of one of the five youths in Oldham.

The teenager on trial accepted being at the house but said he had only stayed for 10-15 minutes after the arrival of the victim before going home with toothache.

He said the victim, also 15, had not appeared alarmed when he arrived with another member of the group and had made no attempt to leave. The jury heard earlier how in an incident some months before the final attack, the boy had been forcibly stripped in an alleyway and beaten by the youths.

Pictures of him were taken by the teenager on trial. One such picture, showing him naked, later appeared on social media.

The youth told the court the victim had not been forced to strip, and the act had been for a bet over a game of snooker.

“He was laughing and smiling,” he said. “It was just a joke at the time.”

He was asked: “It has been suggested that he was kicked and punched and forcibly stripped. Is that true?”. He replied: “No. That didn’t happen.”

The court has been told that over more than four months last year, the victim was forced under threat to pay the ringleader of the group a total of around £800 for a mobile phone he sold him.

The youth on trial pleads not guilty to false imprisonment, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, wounding with intent, unlawful wounding, blackmail, theft and causing the victim to engage in sexual activity without his consent.

The four others have already pleaded guilty to a number of charges in relation to the case, and will be sentenced after the trial.

The trial continues.