Two women who lured a friend to a drug den in Leeds, tied her with electrical cables, strangled her until she lost consciousness, and stole £230 in a six-hour torture ordeal have been jailed for six years and two months.
Attack Details
Jeanette Martin, 33, and Shevonne Wright, 42, both addicts, attacked the woman at a property used by drug users in Harehills, Leeds, on November 16 last year. The victim, who had previously known both defendants, was approached by Martin with an offer to help decorate a property in Bayswater Grove. She travelled by bus the next day to meet Martin, who led her into a vacant, rubbish-strewn property.
Prosecutor Shannon Woodley told Leeds Crown Court that the victim was taken upstairs to an attic room with a makeshift mattress. Wright then entered and began attacking her, with Martin joining in. The pair punched her repeatedly before Martin told Wright to “get her legs” and they tied her up with electrical cables. Wright sat on the victim’s chest and punched her, while Martin tied a cable around her neck, strangling her until she lost consciousness.
Robbery and Further Violence
The defendants took £70 in cash, a bank card, and a phone from the victim, forcing her to reveal her PIN. Martin then withdrew £160 from an ATM while Wright stayed with the victim, continuing to beat her. The victim described Wright hitting her over the head with a phone and stamping on her back, and heard Wright tell phone callers: “I have got this b**** tied up” and “She had to deal with her as she had ruined her day.”
The victim was held for hours in a cycle of beatings. Wright threatened to leave her tied up with socks in her mouth so no one could hear her screaming. Eventually, a man summoned by Wright untied the victim and took her home, where she called the police.
Evidence and Guilty Pleas
Both defendants answered “no comment” in police interviews but later pleaded guilty to robbery. DNA evidence placed them at the scene, and phone records showed conversations about their plan, including messages from Martin: “She’s coming at 2pm” and “Doors open.”
In a victim impact statement, the woman said: “I met Shevonne Wright in October 2024 and became friends. … I tried to defend myself but Jeanette Martin joined in. I was begging her to stop. I couldn’t breathe and tried telling her but she said she didn’t care and would kill me. I was so terrified I was going to die I wet myself and they laughed and called me a dirty b****. They beat me for hours. I was sore for weeks and struggled to eat.”
She added: “Jeanette Martin went and left me at the house and I thought I would die there. It was the worst experience of my life and I will never get over what happened to me.”
Impact on Victim
The woman said she has isolated herself, suffers from nightmares, and has been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder. She said: “I have totally isolated myself because I don’t trust anyone. … I never thought I’d be terrified to leave my home. That’s what my life is like.”
Criminal Records and Sentencing
The court heard Wright had 37 previous offences, including violent crimes, while Martin had 29 offences for dishonesty and drug possession. At the time of the robbery, Martin was subject to a suspended sentence. Wright had a robbery conviction from age 13 but had a six-year spell without offending.
His Honour Judge Clark jailed both women for six years and two months and imposed indefinite restraining orders prohibiting them from contacting the victim. Wright cried as the judge said: “This was a planned and unpleasant attack and while it was not planned to be this extreme, it was this extreme.”
