Huddersfield Gang Members Sentenced for Horrific 'Misery' Style Torture Ordeals
Three members of a violent gang have received substantial prison sentences for carrying out brutal torture attacks on two separate victims in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. The horrific incidents, described by police as involving "shocking levels of violence," included methods reminiscent of Stephen King's psychological horror novel 'Misery,' where victims were subjected to prolonged torment.
Unimaginable Pain Inflicted During Six-Day Nightmare
Leeds Crown Court heard disturbing details of how the first victim, a drug user and dealer, was targeted after police seized drugs belonging to the gang from him. The violence began when ringleader Natalie Dennison, 45, along with Joshua Bhatti, 31, and Makyle Francois, 24, demanded £10,000 from the man and instructed him to obtain the money from his father.
Judge Tom Bayliss told the court: "When he told them there was no chance of that the violence began. You threw the first punch, Natalie Dennison." The assault quickly escalated in severity, with the victim being pushed into a sitting room and struck across the back with a metal bar. According to testimony, the more he cried out in pain, the more he was told to remain silent while the beatings continued.
Sexual Assault and Torture with Household Items
The court proceedings revealed that the victim was subsequently subjected to sexual assault before enduring what police described as "unimaginable pain." Dennison reportedly used an aerosol can to burn the man, who was then forced into a kitchen cupboard during his six-day captivity on Orchard Street in Huddersfield.
One particularly disturbing element involved a wooden meat tenderiser being used as an instrument of torture. Judge Bayliss stated: "He was tortured - one of the instruments, a wooden meat tenderiser. You, Miss Dennison, went and retrieved it and someone said 'we'll do a Misery,' a reference to a Stephen King novel." In the classic horror story, a novelist is captured and tortured by his obsessive fan.
Waterboarding and Psychological Trauma
The victim was also waterboarded five or six times during his ordeal - a torture technique where a person's head is repeatedly held underwater. After managing to escape, the traumatised man was assisted by a "good Samaritan" who provided money for train fare so he could return home.
In a powerful victim impact statement presented to the court, the man described suffering from panic attacks, anxiety, depression, and long-term physical effects. He explained: "My memory has been really affected from all the head trauma I suffered. I can not look in a mirror dressed or undressed and not see any burn or mark that the five defendants caused. Every time I look in the mirror I'm reminded of what happened."
Second Revenge Attack in August 2024
The court also heard details of a separate "revenge" attack on another man in August 2024, involving Dennison, Bhatti, and Francois along with two additional defendants - Curtis Hainds, 19, and Aiden Bridges, 27. This victim was punched, kicked, struck with an iron, and strangled with a cord during the assault.
Judge Bayliss described how the attackers cut the man's hair and continued beating him despite him being covered in blood. At one point, Dennison reportedly stated, "we can't release him like this," prompting Francois to emerge wearing latex gloves and begin cleaning the walls. The victim eventually escaped by jumping from the property and running across a green while shouting for help.
Substantial Prison Sentences Handed Down
Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Andy Buckingham of Kirklees CID commented: "We welcome the sentencing of these persons... for their roles in what were dreadful offences involving shocking levels of violence. Both victims were seriously assaulted with weapons and very much feared they could even be killed had they not escaped when they did."
The sentences imposed were:
- Natalie Dennison - 21 years with five years extended licence for section 18 assault, two counts of sexual assault, and kidnap against a man in July, plus sentencing for the section 18 assault of another man in August
- Makyle Francois - 18 years with four years extended licence for section 18 assault and kidnap in July, plus sentencing for section 18 assault in August
- Joshua Bhatti - 18 years with four years on licence for section 18 assault and false imprisonment in July, plus sentencing for section 18 assault in August
- Aiden Bridges - Four years and eight months for section 18 assault in August
- Curtis Hainds - Two years and nine months for section 18 assault in August
DC Buckingham expressed hope that the sentencing would provide the victims with "some measure of comfort and closure from what were awful ordeals." The second victim required extensive hospital treatment for serious head injuries and continues to suffer deep trauma from the attacks.
