Officers conducted a further search of the property and multiple firearms and weapons were also located and seized across multiple different rooms in the house
(Image: Humberside Police)
Two men and a woman will be sentenced after a 56-year-old man was left with life threatening injuries after an attack. The man was violently dragged into a pit, then attacked with weapons and held prisoner overnight.
Mohammed Hussain, 24, of Harborough Avenue in Sheffield, and Toma Vitkauskaite, 26, of Eppleworth Road in Cottingham, pleaded guilty to false imprisonment at the first day of their trial held at Hull Crown Court on Monday, November 17 2025.
Emilio Romano, 25, of Hadleigh Close in Hull, pleaded guilty at an earlier court date, to false imprisonment and assault. The trial was adjourned due to unforeseen circumstances following the guilty verdicts and had to be rescheduled to Monday, January 5 at Hull Crown Court, reports Hull Live.
Armantas Sauklys, 39-years-old, of Eppleworth Road in Cottingham was charged with false imprisonment, conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm. The jury returned a not guilty verdict on all offences following a seven day trial. He has now been released from custody with no further action.
Following the hearing, Humberside Police said: “On Thursday, 19 June 2025, our Major Crime Team launched an investigation after we received an anonymous call of a third-party report claiming a man had been kidnapped and violently assaulted by a group of people the previous day.
“Officers were immediately deployed to the home address of the named individual, where a man answered the door and was shown to have visible serious injuries. He was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment to pneumonia and other injuries which left him in life threatening condition for five days.
“Following initial enquiries, officers were informed that the victim had been contacted the same day by a woman known to him asking him to come round to her home on Eppleworth Road in Cottingham. The woman was later identified as Vitkauskaite.”
Around three hours later, as he attempted to leave the property, he was grabbed and dragged into a nearby garage service pit by a group of men invited round by Vitkauskaite. He suffered a serious of violent assaults with weapons, including a hammer over the next few hours before being imprisoned for about eight hours overnight.
“At approximately 7pm on Thursday, 19 June 2025, officers from our Armed Policing Unit were deployed to the property on Eppleworth Road after receiving the initial report. Seven men and a woman were subsequently arrested at the scene and upon searching the individuals, a large quantity of cash along with a balaclava was discovered.
“Officers conducted a further search of the property and multiple firearms and weapons were also located and seized across multiple different rooms in the house. Our Digital Forensics Team examined the mobile phone of Vitkauskaite who first invited the man to her home address. During the examination, officers found videos that revealed the extent of the abuse he was subjected to.”
Vitaukskaite, Sauklys, Hussain and Romano were taken into custody to be interviewed by detectives and were later charged with their offences. Three of the other men who were arrested at the scene have since been released without charge.
Hussain and Romano have been remanded to prison, following their appearance at court while Vitkauskaite has been released on conditional bail awaiting sentencing at Hull Crown Court at a later date.
Detective Constable Simon Holmes, leading the investigation, said: “These individuals subjected a man to a horrific level of violence and trauma in a targeted and premeditated attack that left him in a life-threatening condition where he spent five days in critical condition as a result of his injuries.
“Despite the severity of the injuries he sustained, it is fortunate that man was able to leave the address, and thankfully, he has since made a full recovery from his injuries. I am pleased that those responsible will face the consequences for the role they played in this harrowing kidnap and attack.
“The weapons located from the property that night highlighted the level of injury they were willing and intending to further inflict on the man if he was not able to escape. We will not tolerate violent incidents of this nature, and our teams work tirelessly to remove dangerous offenders from our streets and protect our communities.”
