Two fathers were allegedly abducted by men posing as Interpol officers before being driven more than 100 miles, tortured and set on fire after losing £1 million worth of cigarettes, a court has heard.
Abduction and Ordeal
Tomasz Samel, 45, was allegedly snatched in Birmingham in 2019 and taken to the Liverpool area, where prosecutors say he was subjected to a horrific ordeal. Despite suffering catastrophic injuries, Samel was abandoned alive in a remote rural spot. He managed to reach the home of strangers, who called an ambulance, but he died in hospital three months later, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
Prosecutors allege the attack was carried out as punishment after illicit and counterfeit cigarettes smuggled into the UK from Poland were seized by HM Revenue and Customs.
Defendants and Charges
Harpreet Sandhu KC told jurors the group — Neil Jones, Kevin Wooden, Kye Arthur and Tobiasz Kozlowski — are all guilty of Samel's murder and intended to take him to a 'remote location where he would be taught a lesson'. Wooden, 46, Arthur, 35, Jones, 48, and Kozlowski, 38, all deny murder and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.
The prosecutor said: 'After he was kidnapped, he was falsely imprisoned – he was placed in a white Peugeot Boxer van and he was driven to Merseyside. In Merseyside, he was tortured and he was caused really serious harm. As part of that torture his body was set on fire. After he was subjected to that torture, his body is likely to have been dumped in a remote rural location. Miraculously he was able to walk to the home of strangers who saw the state he was in and who called for an ambulance.'
Details of the Attack
The court heard that Jones and Kozlowski are alleged to have been present when Samel was tortured and set on fire. Wooden and Arthur are accused of helping plan the attack. Jurors were told HM Revenue and Customs seized cigarettes from a unit used by Samel in Elkington Street, Aston, Birmingham in February 2019.
Paramedics said Samel's genitals 'had been the area which had been targeted the most by fire', the court was told, while he reportedly suffered burns to 75% of his body. Police later described it as 'one of the most horrific' incidents they had ever encountered. The Crown’s KC said Samel is believed to have been naked and sitting down when he was set alight.
Pleas and Extradition
Jones has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to falsely imprison. Wooden, Arthur and Kozlowski have all denied manslaughter. Kozlowski has denied conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to falsely imprison. Jones, Wooden and Arthur have all admitted conspiracy to falsely imprison and conspiracy to kidnap.
The court also heard Wooden allegedly fled abroad after the attack, when a £10,000 bounty was placed on his head. He was eventually extradited from the Dominican Republic after West Midlands Police released a photo of him. Police arrested him there in July 2025 after he was allegedly held on an international arrest warrant issued by Mexican authorities – over a separate alleged child kidnapping.
The trial continues.
