Third man charged in connection with Southampton kidnap and assault

Officers investigating the kidnap and assault of a man in Southampton have now charged a third person in connection with the incident.

George William John Kean, 27, of Howard Close, has been charged with kidnap, assault and blackmail. He has been remanded into custody and is due to appear at Southampton Magistrates’ Court today (Friday 26 January).

The charge comes after it was reported to us that a man in his 20s and a man in his 30s had been assaulted on Rowborough Road on the evening of Wednesday 17 January. It was also reported that the man in his 20s had been forced into a car against his will. Neither man was seriously hurt.

As part of our enquiries, specialist officers previously attended an address on Sycamore Road in Shirley Warren at 1.30am on Saturday (20 January) and arrested a 20-year-old man from Southampton. The man - Lloyd Baker, of Coxford Road, has now been charged with assault, kidnap and possession of an offensive weapon.

A second man, 23-year-old Albie Samways of Wimpson Lane, has also been charged with assault and kidnap. Both Baker and Samways have been remanded into custody and are due to appear at Southampton Crown Court on Friday 23 February.

As part of our investigation we have also arrested a 20-year-old man and a 42-year-old man from Southampton on suspicion of conspiring to kidnap. The 20-year-old man has been released from police custody but remains under investigation and the 42-year-old man has been released on conditional bail while our enquiries continue.