South Yorkshire: Gang members sentenced for falsely imprisoning Albanian nationals

Two gang members have been sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court today for falsely imprisoning two Albanian nationals at a house in Sheffield.

Andi Alushi, 27, from Albania, and Valdemaras Kašinskas, 39, from Lithuania were each sentenced to 14 years and six months at Sheffield Crown Court today for their parts in falsely imprisoning two men over a ten-day period at the house in Firth Park Road.  

Shortly before their trial was due to begin in November 2022, both defendants pleaded guilty to two counts of false imprisonment.

The two men were kept captive, and there is evidence to show that Alushi and Kašinskas plotted to obtain a substantial ransom from their family members in Albania.

Video uncovered during the police investigation showed the victims being fed from dog bowls and made to dance in the presence of a man holding a machete.

In the early hours of 14 May 2022, armed police officers carried out a search warrant at a house in Firth Park Road, Sheffield.

In a first-floor bedroom the police found one of the men chained to a radiator. He had bruising around his eyes, and a significant burn on his hand.

In a second-floor bedroom they found the other man lying on the floor under a duvet. He was also chained to a radiator. 

Bottles of urine were found in the bedrooms, and in the cellar, officers discovered blood-stained pieces of material surrounding cables, which appeared to have been used as restraints.

The offending came to light when Kašinskas engaged on social media with a man in Lithuania who did not know him, boasting that he would be shocked at the content of his videos. The man reported the matter to the police.

Samantha Davidson from the CPS said: “The two victims were falsely imprisoned and suffered humiliating treatment at the hands of their captors. Fortunately, the offending was uncovered, and the victims were rescued before they suffered further harm. These two violent and dangerous men are now beginning significant prison sentences. The CPS is committed to prosecuting violent criminality of this kind whenever our legal tests are met.”