Four jailed after man kidnapped in Birmingham and set on fire

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Four men have been jailed for killing a member of an organised crime group who was tortured, doused in petrol and set alight.

Father-of-two Tomasz Samel, 45, was kidnapped in March 2019 in Birmingham by three men claiming to be from Interpol, before being driven to the Liverpool area and attacked over the loss of illicit cigarettes worth £1m.

Passing sentence at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Mr Justice Wall said Samel “was vulnerable at the time he was set alight – he was naked and outnumbered”.

Neil Jones, 49, of no fixed address, and Tobiasz Kozlowski, 38, from Kirkby, Merseyside, were jailed for life after being convicted in August of murder and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.

The pair pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to falsely imprison before the trial began, while Jones had also admitted manslaughter.

Kevin Wooden, 46, of Banbury, Oxfordshire, and Kye Arthur, 35, from Lockleaze, Bristol, who were found guilty of manslaughter after being cleared of murder and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm, were given 23 years and 22 years respectively.

They had previously admitted conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to falsely imprison.

Kozlowski’s wife, Sandra Kozlowska, 38, also from Kirkby, was convicted of assisting an offender by helping him to avoid detection by police, hiding evidence and moving money.

She received a three-year prison sentence, suspended for three years.