Attackers told they face jail over 'kidnap' practical joke

A GANG of young men pretended to kidnap a teenager with learning difficulties as part of a practical joke, a court heard yesterday.

James McKendry, 18, was threatened with an object he thought was a gun, and dragged towards a car by a balaclava-clad attacker as he walked his dog in Niddrie.

A concerned passer-by intervened and the attacker ran off, leaving the teenager believing he had been the subject of a real attempted abduction. When police caught up with the men involved, it emerged that it had been a prank – and the "gun" was actually a mobile phone.

After the random attack, Mr McKendry – who suffers from learning difficulties after a head injury – was so shocked he was unable to speak and was shaking from head to toe.

Yesterday at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, James Carlin and James Reid, both 22, pleaded guilty to a breach of the peace. But both men denied being the balaclava- wearing person.

The court heard that Mr McKendry was walking on Niddrie Marischal Place in August last year when the incident occurred.

A black BMW pulled up and a man jumped out, pointing an object wrapped in clothing at the teenager. He grabbed hold of Mr McKendry's arms and began to try and drag him to the car, shouting "Get in the f***ing car!". The hoax was halted when a female witness shouted to the man to stop. He jumped back in the car and it sped away.

Mr McKendry was taken home by the concerned passer-by, and left in his mother's care.

A description of the car was passed to police and they later traced the group. When questioned by the police, Carlin, of Hay Gardens, Niddrie, and Reid, of Craigmillar Castle Gardens, Craigmillar, admitted they had come up with the plan to pretend to kidnap a stranger as they sat in the car with two other people.

They insisted that neither of them had been the one who jumped from the vehicle and pulled at McKendry's arm. Police were told that there was no intention of taking McKendry, and that they had just wanted to "give somebody a fright" as a "prank".

Vincent Belmonte, acting for Carlin, told the court his client accepted responsibility for the cruel attack. He said: "He apologises to the victim for his behaviour, which he realises was very stupid."

He insisted that had his client known about McKendry's background they would certainly not have behaved in this way.

Acting for Reid, defence agent David Allan added: "This may have been intended as a prank but it was far from that and my client accepts that."

Sheriff Nigel Morrison warned the two that he would have to consider a jail term for the "serious offence". Sentence was deferred. Two other people have been charged in relation to the incident.