A London man has received a prison sentence after being convicted of his involvement in the brutal kidnapping and ransom attempt of a Stockton resident, an incident marked by deception and violence at a caravan site.
A London man has been jailed for his part in the kidnapping of a Stockton victim who was dragged into a van by people dressed to look like delivery drivers, then held at a caravan site and forced to beg for money on camera. Chronicle Live reported that Donald Hammond, who was due to celebrate his 44th birthday the day after sentencing, was convicted by a jury after a two-week trial and handed a prison term for his role in the ordeal.
According to court details reported by Chronicle Live and corroborated by Yahoo News, the victim was restrained with cable ties, blindfolded and taken to a caravan off Sandy Lane near the A19, where he was assaulted and stripped naked. Prosecutors said the kidnappers recorded him pleading with his brother to pay a "significant amount of money", while the judge said he was told he would be stabbed if he shouted and would be badly hurt if he lied about his identity.
The court heard that Hammond’s phone connected to Stockton mast sites on the day of the abduction in April 2024, and jurors were shown CCTV said to capture a black Mercedes following a Land Rover linked to co-defendant Mark Pearce into the field. Hammond, of Walthamstow, denied involvement but was convicted, while Pearce was granted bail before a later sentencing date because of family circumstances, according to Chronicle Live.
Mitigation at sentence noted Hammond’s financial problems, his family background and his remorse, but the judge still imposed a custodial term and activated an earlier suspended sentence linked to drug offences. As Yahoo News also reported, the case formed part of a broader conspiracy to kidnap finding, underlining how the court viewed the offence as a planned and violent ransom attempt rather than a spontaneous attack.
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