Kidnappers who forced woman into prostitution jailed

Stephen Redhead (48) together with his enforcer Jonathan Lindley (40) transported their victim 80 miles in the back of a filthy van to Rotherham.

Redhead and his girlfriend Stephanie Coggan, herself a prostitute, gave the 33-year-old victim a set of  new clothes and sent her out to work on the streets.

Mr Gordon Aspden, prosecuting at Lincoln Crown Court, said the vulnerable woman was forced to have sex with numerous men over an eight-day period before she was tracked down by police and rescued in January this year.

She had previously worked for Redhead selling drugs for him on the streets of her home town of Skegness but got into debt with him and was unable to repay the money.

Redhead, of Park Street, Rotherham, and Lindley of Low Edges Road, Sheffield, were each convicted by a jury of kidnap and trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Redhead was also found guilty of causing or inciting prostitute for gain and possession of amphetamine with intent to supply.

Redhead was jailed for ten years and Lindley — who has almost 200 previous convictions — was jailed for seven and a half years.

Both were also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Coggan (26), also of Park Street, Rotherham, was found guilty of causing or inciting prostitute for gain and jailed for 15 months.

The defendants had denied the charges but were found guilty by a jury at Lincoln Crown Court at the end of a three-week trial.

The court was told that Redhead had a previous conviction for manslaughter and had also previously received a lengthy jail sentence for drug dealing.

Judge Sean Morris , addressing Redhead, said “This was a wicked offence.

“The victim was a vulnerable female made even more vulnerable by her drug habit.

“I just wonder between the three of you how much you have cost your fellow citizens in locking you up and bringing you to justice, representing you and paying your benefits.

“You have contributed nothing to society.”

At the end of the hearing the judge, commended the team of Lincolnshire Police officers headed by Det Chief Insp Steve Taylor for the way they carried out the investigation.

The Judge also thanked the victim for her courage in giving evidence against the trio.

The woman watched the sentencing hearing over a video link from a secret location.

Mr Errol Ballentyne, for Redhead, said no violence was actually used against the victim during the incident.

Mr Alistair Munt, for Lindley, admitted his client had a record which included almost 200 previous convictions but said the previous offences were mostly low level crimes.

He said Lindley had acted under the instruction of Redhead throughout the kidnapping and was not the main player.

Mr Richard Barradell, for Coggan, said she was much younger than the other two and she had a troubled background.

He told the court that Coggan was rejected by her mother as a teenager and by the time she was 14 she was living with a violent alcoholic who introduced her to drugs.

She later became an addict following the death of her third child and later worked as a prostitute.

Mr Taylor said afterwards: “The circumstances of this case are quite horrific. Redhead is an intimidating man and a nasty individual.

“The victim's drug addiction and lifestyle made her vulnerable to abuse and Redhead and Coggan exploited that vulnerability, using fear and their formidable reputation as violent figures in the drug world to control their victim and her associates.

“They subjected  her to degrading and humiliating treatment for their own profit and it is satisfying to see convicted of these offences.

“I would like to thank everyone involved in the investigation.

“ Their meticulous and diligent work has resulted in the conviction of three people, whose activities have been the scourge of Skegness, and, importantly, has given the victim, with the support of a number of agencies, the opportunity to successfully turn her life around.”