Harwich man Tye Parker jailed after woman held captive in loft for four days in London before escaping

A Harwich man has been jailed for 15 years after a woman was driven from Suffolk to London and held captive in a property for four days before escaping.

Tye Parker, 23, of Burr Close in Harwich, was found guilty by a jury on March 4 of robbery, aggravated burglary and blackmail after a trial at Ipswich Crown Court.

Louie Charles, 21, of Wivenhoe Park in Colchester, was found not guilty of two counts of false imprisonment and one charge each of blackmail and kidnap.

Yesterday, Parker was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.

It follows an incident on March 4, 2019, when a 24-year-old woman was approached in Ipswich where it was demanded she resolve a drug debt worth £10,000.

The following day, the court heard, the woman was driven to Tottenham, in London, and kept captive at an address there in the loft area, while an associate of hers was asked to repay the drug debt.

On March 8, the victim managed to escape the loft and raised the alarm at nearby neighbours.

On March 16, a 53-year-old tenant of the Tottenham property where the woman had been held captive, was also taken against his will and kept in a property in Wolverhampton.

Following inquires, he was located by police unharmed.

Parker was found hiding in the loft of the Wolverhampton property and was arrested and subsequently charged.

During a search of the property in Wolverhampton, various mobile phone, SIM cards and knives were located.

On February 19, 2019, there was another incident in which a 23-year-old man was driving a white Mercedes car in Colchester when another vehicle pulled in front of him.

Three people got out of the car and the driver of the Mercedes was then assaulted and left in the street after his iPhone, the keys to the Mercedes and his shoes were taken.

The same three suspects then drove to the victim's Dagenham home and at around 1.35am on February 20 broke down the door and one man threatened the occupants with a handgun.

The offenders realised the police had been rung and fled.

Detective Sergeant Chloe Booty, investigating officer, said: "This case is a prime example of how serious criminals with links to other areas of the country see fit to commit serious acts of criminality in Suffolk - hopefully this will serve as a lesson that Suffolk police take these matters seriously and deal with them robustly.

“This trial has taken a long time and been a lot of work for all involved including numerous witnesses and victims who have been brave enough to come forwards and support police in their investigation.

"I hope now that the victims and witnesses can continue on in their lives with their mind put at ease that a dangerous perpetrator will now face a period of time in prison.”