Gang of five jailed for life over torture and murder of father in 'dingy basement'
Arbab Yusuf was one of five people jailed for life yesterday (Jul 24) for murdering addict Adam Clapham in the “dark and dingy” basement of a house in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
A trial earlier this year heard Mr Clapham was tied to a chair and tortured for five hours, including being beaten with a hammer, hit with bottles and having boiling water poured over him.
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Hide AdThe 31-year-old was held captive along with another man in the early hours of September 18 2022 after the pair were blamed for £300 of drugs money going missing from the address, which was used for dealing.
Sheffield Crown Court heard that a pathologist found 214 areas of injury on Mr Clapham’s body, including 52 on his head.
Both of the captive men were filmed as they were forced to give each other oral sex and their attackers mocked them.
The judge, Mr Justice Dove, said the horrific incident illustrated the “appalling consequences of the drugs trade in our communities”.
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Hide AdAt the end of a lengthy trial in June, Yusuf, 24, of Lord Street, Rotherham; Muhammad Ashraf, 18, of Fraser Road, Rotherham; Kieron Millar, 30, of Mount Pleasant Road, Rotherham; Robert Crookes, 31, of no fixed address; and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named, were all found guilty of murder.
Ashraf, Yusuf, Crookes and the 17-year-old were also found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, false imprisonment and rape.
Millar and a sixth defendant, Lynette Myers, 39, of Hounsfield Crescent, Rotherham, were found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent and false imprisonment.
All five of the defendants convicted of murder were jailed for life, with Yusuf given a 39-year minimum term, Crookes a minimum of 37 years, Millar a 30-year minimum, Ashraf a minimum of 28 years, and the 17-year-old a 21-year minimum.
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Hide AdThe judge told the teenager he was sure he had been groomed for a life as a drug dealer.
Myers was jailed for 12 years.
Earlier, Mr Clapham’s mother, Carol Clapham, read an impact statement to the packed court, saying: “The circumstances of his death gives me nightmares and will forever by imprinted in my thoughts.
“No-one deserves what happened to Adam.”