Mum Warns Parents to "Keep Their Children Close" & Keep a Check on Them After Her 20YO Son Was Tortured by Drug Gang

Trigger warning: Contains descriptions of abuse that might be distressing to some

Being a parent, you can't always keep an eye on your kids because you have so many other things to juggle, but the mother in this story is urging every parent to do just that. Sharing disturbing images of her son's horrific injuries after he was tortured by a county lines drugs gang, she urged the parents to keep a check on their kids.

Boiling water was poured on Ben McCloughlin's hands just two weeks after being kidnapped by the drug gang because he wanted to leave. Louise, talking about the horror her son and she went through, revealed, "Every time I close my eyes I see his hands and picture what they did to him. I should be happy he's alive but when I see those photos I want to break down," as per The Mirror.

"The pain he suffered brings a tear to my eyes most days. We are such an ordinary family and I have no idea how our lives were destroyed in such a short space of time. Ben was really naive and he made a stupid mistake and realized it after just two weeks - but it was already too late," she continued.

Begging parents to take Ben's experience as an example, the mum-of-two added, "I want to plead with mums and dads to listen to Ben's story. You never think this will happen to your own son. I cry every night thinking about how close I was to losing my precious boy. I urge parents to keep their children close because while you are not looking, you cannot possibly imagine what they may be getting themselves into."

Ben was just 5-years-old when he became a registered carer for Louise who is disabled, suffering from oesteo-arthritis which restricts mobility. The heartbroken mum said that her boy is "lovely" and has always been "caring."

"He used to pick me up from the floor because my mobility is dreadful. I am always following over and I'm in constant pain." She added, "When Ben was only three he would bring me cushions if I fell so I could sit on them until I plucked up the strength to lift myself up. As he got older he did everything for me."

Lured into the drug dealing business at 19, when Ben tried to escape after just two weeks, the gang kidnapped him on January 12, 2020, from his girlfriend's home. "They took him to a drugs den in Corby and beat and tortured him. He told me afterward they were going to kill him for disrespecting them by not wanting to continue," revealed Louise.

Elaborating, she said, "After cutting his hair with a machete they dragged him downstairs and put his hands under the sink and poured the boiling water with sugar all over his hands. He suffered third-degree burns on his left hand and had severe nerve damage. We don't know if he will ever have full use of it again." Ben was rescued after another man who was kidnapped, escaped and raised alarm.

The Northants Police spokesperson said that the case was like "Hollywood films," however, "this is a story much closer to home." Ben is now safe and about to become a father pretty soon. The proud mom revealed that the soon-to-be father wants to "share his experience in Parliament. He wants his story to be heard because it really can happen to anyone." She says that even though he won't be the same as he was before, she's still "proud of how he has handled the case."

Toushane Spencer, 19, Derek Harris, 18, and Abdillah Cumar, 21, the ones responsible for Ben's condition, were sentenced to 22 years on November 20 for kidnapping two men and afterward, torturing one of them in Corby, Northampton.

Detective Con Andrew Walking said he was "really pleased" with the sentencing that the three men received. "To kidnap two men and women is in itself, a terrible crime, but to subject one of them to that level of violence shows Spencer especially as a dangerous and depraved individual who deserves to spend a long time in prison," he said, adding, "It has been a complex case to investigate and I am really pleased to have it conclude with three guilty pleas and a total sentence of more than 22 years."

Detective Sgt. Paul Rymarz added, "I want to reinforce that violent offences such as these will not be tolerated and we will do everything in our power to prevent them from happening. If they do, however, we will be relentless in our pursuit of those responsible, as this case demonstrates."

References:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mums-warning-son-tortured-drugs-23162953