A GROUP of men kidnapped two teenagers in Cowley and sparked a fight in broad daylight in an East Oxford street, a court heard.

Haroon Mohammed, 20, of Golden Road, East Oxford; Imran Khan, 19, of Shelley Road, East Oxford, and Mohammed Umar, 18, of Desborough Avenue, High Wycombe, denied violent disorder in Cowley Road, East Oxford, on April 28 last year.

Ameen Mohammed, 19, of Tawney Street, East Oxford; Saqab Dogar, 19, of Tawney Street, East Oxford; Shah Ahmed, 21, of West Wycombe Road, High Wycombe, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named, also appeared at Oxford Crown Court today.

All seven denied kidnapping and causing actual bodily harm to a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named, on December 16, 2007, and kidnapping 19-year-old Mandeep Singh on March 17, 2008.

Paul Reid, prosecuting, told the jury a group of men approached the 16-year-old victim of the first kidnapping incident in Rymers Lane, Cowley, at about 9.30pm and Umar punched him in the mouth.

Mr Reid said the group of men then forced the victim into a car and, after driving to Cricket Road, East Oxford, picked up the three other defendants — Ameen Mohammed, Khan and the 17-year-old — from the Royal Cars base in Gillians Way, East Oxford, and drove towards Cowley Marsh Park.

He said: “By this stage there were seven of them and the prosecution say he was punched, beaten up by all of them.”

The jury watched a recording of a police interview with the victim from April 28, 2008, during which he said he was punched and hit on the head and back with a barbell bar, a kosh and a hammer while in Cowley Marsh Park. He also said Umar took out a lighter and threatened to set fire to his hair.

Outlining the second alleged kidnapping, Mr Reid said Mr Singh was sitting on a wall near the Texaco garage in Oxford Road, Cowley, at 6pm and was feeling a bit drunk after a party.

He said: “(Mr Singh) noticed a black Nissan Almera and was approached by Haroon Moham-med, who said ‘Do you want to **** with my family?’.

“Haroon pulled out a tool of some kind and struck him with it and he was knocked out briefly.

“He came to and found himself in the middle of the rear car seat and asked where he was going.

“He was told ‘real far’ and was driven up the A34 and taken to a wooded area and beaten up.”

The jury heard the alleged victim was also forced to strip, beaten on the back of the legs and was made to dance.

Mr Reid said Mr Singh was then put into the car boot and Umar held a knife to him before he was driven back to Cowley Marsh Park where he made his escape.

Of the violent disorder charge, Mr Reid said: “It was a punch-up in the street in public, also in KFC and Kebab Kid and to some extent a running punch-up between these men instigated by (the 17-year-old) and carried out by the other three defendants.

“Police arrived at 6.15pm and seized a hammer and kosh.”

During cross examination, Edmund Walters, defending Haroon Mohammed, asked the 16-year-old alleged victim: “The most serious injury you complained of over four months later is a cut lip.

“That’s simply not true, is it? You weren’t beaten up at all.”

“I’m lucky to be away with my life after they had weapons,” replied the boy.

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