A kidnapper who held a terrified man at gunpoint before threatening to cut him up has been jailed. Claude Bond, 32, abducted his victim, bound him with cable ties, and repeatedly threatened to injure and kill him during a three-hour ordeal in Gloucester.
Kidnapping and ransom demands
The victim, in his 20s, was walking in Hatherley Road on December 11, 2025, at around 6.40pm when Bond pushed a gun into his back and walked him to a property. Once there, Bond demanded £250,000 from a relative of the victim for his safe release. The victim saw knives, a blow torch, tweezers, bleach, and a large sheet with tape on it at the address.
Bond threatened to cut off the victim's fingers, chop his body up, and blast his head off if the relative did not provide money. The court heard the kidnapping was likely related to a drug dispute between Bond and the victim's relative, and that the victim had no involvement in criminality and did not know who Bond was.
Arrest and sentencing
Bond was arrested at his home on Hanman Road on December 13 after a police warrant. He later pleaded guilty to kidnapping and was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court on Tuesday, August 18, to four-and-a-half years in prison. He must serve two-thirds of his sentence before being released on licence, and was given a 12-year restraining order to protect the victim.
Police recovered an empty Beretta gun case, zip ties, a blow torch, a cannister, and a handwritten kidnap list from the address. The weapon was not located, and the court was told it was believed to have been an airsoft pistol, though the victim would have believed it to be genuine.
Victim impact and judge's remarks
In a statement read to the court, the victim said he thought he was going to die and had made peace with that fact. He said the attack was completely unprovoked, and that his ability to sleep had been impacted as the kidnap replayed in his head, adding he would carry this with him for the rest of his life.
In sentencing, Judge Rupert Lowe said: "You somehow decided you would kidnap [victim] off the street and you went and laid in wait for him with a gun. I accept from your basis of plea, and from the evidence from the police, that this was in all probability an airsoft pistol. You lay in wait for him, and when he came out of a shop you barged into him, pushed him into a van and pushed your gun into his back. He didn’t know who you were, he had no idea, and you then demanded money and walked him at gunpoint down a number of roads."
Judge Lowe added that the victim would have thought Bond was serious about potentially dismembering and disposing of his body. The court also heard Bond had previous convictions, including supply of class A drugs, for which he was jailed for 84 months in 2018 and released in 2023.
After sentencing, investigating officer Detective Constable Niall Carter said: "I would like to thank the victim for his steadfastness and courage shown throughout this investigation. His continued support and engagement has been invaluable in helping officers establish the circumstances of what happened. Bond ultimately pleaded guilty on the day his trial was due to commence. While that plea is welcomed and has brought proceedings to a conclusion without the need for the victim to give evidence, it is important to recognise that Bond had shown no remorse whatsoever for what he has put the victim through."
He added: "This has been a complex investigation, and the commitment and professionalism shown by multiple officers from different departments should be recognised. The execution of multiple warrants and identification of key CCTV evidence was particularly important in progressing the investigation. I would like to thank everyone involved in this case for their hard work. Such violent and serious offending will not be tolerated in Gloucestershire, and we will always work to identify those responsible and bring them to justice."
