A KIDNAP gang, who subjected a man to a prolonged ordeal involving threats and assaults, has been jailed for more than 18 years.

Christian Stanica was kept in a car for most of a day. He was finally dumped in the boot but was rescued shortly after by police.

Yesterday the leader of the gang, 35-year-old Shafiqul Ali, was jailed for six years.

He was told by Judge David Hatton QC: "You were the organiser and driving force behind all of this. You were 'the Boss'."

Mr Stanica, a Romanian, was taken from his flat, in Mannville Terrace, Little Horton, Bradford, on the morning of August Bank Holiday Monday last year, and bundled into a car.

He was driven round various locations in Bradford, threatened and assaulted. His ordeal did not end until 11pm when police stopped the car and found him in the boot.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Rashel Ahmed, Monzur Ali and Ali Hussain were in the car with the victim while threats were made to kill him and he was assaulted.

Shafiqul Ali was orchestrating what was going on, while his brother, Shamsul Islam, drove him to the final location.

Judge Hatton said: "The purpose and motive behind this enterprise was to recover drugs which had been stolen from a flat adjacent to that of Christian Stanica, in which all of you had an interest, and it was perceived that Christian Stanica either stole them or was in a position to provide information."

Judge Hatton said he accepted no weapons were used and Mr Stanica's injuries were not severe, but his trauma and fear was immense and the threats made to him were severe and unpleasant.

The judge told Shafiqul Ali: "You directed operations. You were in touch with the activities in the car. You were clearly aware that assaults and threats would be issued and that was your intention."

Jailing Shamsul Islam, 38, for two years, Judge Hatton told him his role was limited in time, but "you were clearly aware of the reason for your recruitment and what was taking place".

The brothers, of St George's Place, Little Horton, pleaded not guilty to kidnap but were convicted by a jury.

They were both jailed for eight years in 2009 for conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Ali Hussain, 26, of Tivoli Place, Little Horton, and Rashel Ahmed, 27, of Browning Street, Barkerend, who pleaded guilty to kidnap, threats to kill and assault causing actual bodily harm, were both jailed for three years and nine months.

Monzur Ali, 25, of Sunrise Court, Little Horton, who admitted the same charges, was jailed for two years and ten months.

Judge Hatton said Ali, who was the only defendant without previous convictions, had got in with the wrong crowd, but he had embarked on the enterprise and remained in it with his eyes open.

After the case, Detective Superintendent Mark McManus, of the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said: "I would like to express my sympathies to the victim for the harrowing ordeal he was subjected to, and I hope the successful conclusion to this case will give him some closure.

"While the injuries he suffered in this incident were not life-threatening, he would have been in fear of what could have happened had police not brought it to an end.

"Violent crime will not be tolerated in West Yorkshire and I hope these sentences serve as a deterrent to others from being involved in this type of crime."