THREE youths are facing custodial sentences after a Redditch teenager was kidnapped and terrified into stealing beer from off-licences.

Wesley Martin, 18, escaped the clutches of Keith Langton and Matthew Bodwell during the crime spree but they broke his finger and beat him up.

Langton was caught on shop security cameras supervising some of the thefts and later drove Martin on a joyride before crashing the hot-wired car, Worcester Crown Court heard.

A jury convicted Langton, 20, of Watery Lane, Redditch, of kidnap, blackmail, assault causing actual bodily harm, aggravated vehicle taking and perverting the course of justice.

Bodwell, 19, of Acton Close, Redditch, pleaded guilty to blackmail, assault and aggravated vehicle-taking midway through the trial.

Langton was cleared of two other blackmail charges and the jury was discharged by the judge from reaching a verdict on a charge of kidnap against Bodwell.

A third defendant, Wayne Masters, 21, of Dolben Lane, Winyates West, Redditch, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice before the trial began.

He and Langton made threats to Mr Martin to pressurise him into phoning Redditch police to withdraw his evidence.

Judge Anthony King remanded the trio into custody to await the completion of pre-sentence reports.

Mr Martin described how he stole beer because he feared a beating. Off-licences targeted included Booze Busters in Studley and McColls in Redditch.

At one outlet he tried to get a shop assistant to call police but left empty-handed when she refused.

He managed to escape for five days but was then attacked and ordered to steal again. He has since left the area.