Kidnap and torture gang member gets 11 years for vicious Ballymena attack
A member of a gang who kidnapped and tortured a man in Ballymena has been given 11 years for his part in the brutal attack.
David Coleman, 39, was today (5th) sentenced after previously pleading guilty to committing grievous bodily harm with intent and kidnapping over the October 11, 2021 ordeal.
A police detective today described the kidnap and assault as “barbaric and depraved”, adding the incident in a Ballymena house saw a “shocking level of violence” in which the defenceless victim was “viciously beaten, stabbed in the chest with a knife and sliced on both sides of his face” while his tormentors mocked him.
The victim was left with a permanent brain injury, detached jaw, fractured skull and lasting scars, among other wounds.
“Throughout the nightmarish attack, he was kicked and continually forced to wipe up the blood; meanwhile, the defendants laughed,” said Detective Inspector McCoy, who added the victim was then driven to a field near Broughshane almost four miles from Ballymena and dumped. He was found there, lying unconscious.
Said the detective: “This man somehow survived; his journey, however, has been traumatic and for the first number of weeks he remained in intensive care under sedation.
“Injuries included a stab wound to his chest, fracture and detachment of the jaw, injuries to his face and mouth, and a fracture to the base of the skull. He has in fact sustained a permanent brain injury.
“Today David Coleman has been held accountable for his actions. My thoughts are with the victim and his family, who have all suffered terribly.”
Four other men were last year sentenced in for their part in the ordeal.