Two men who handcuffed and tortured stranger jailed for over 13 years

A pair of robbers who tricked their way into a man’s home before torturing him in order to steal cash and tech gadgets have been jailed.

Juliano Racca, aged 31, and Ricky Randall, aged 29, had met their victim online, but when they arrived at his Northampton home late on the evening of October 27 last year, it became clear that rather than enjoying drinks together as planned, the pair were intent on robbing him.

The man was handcuffed before, over the course of several hours, he was beaten and tortured into revealing access details for a safe and his bank cards, including Racca punching him using a knuckleduster and spraying him with a fire extinguisher.

Racca and Randall then left the victim tied up, doused his home in bleach and fled with £2,500 cash and items including the victim’s bank cards, his mobile phone, other Apple products and a CCTV camera.

The man was found and freed after an SOS alert was activated on his stolen phone, which police were able to use to trace and arrest the two suspects.

The pair, who had earlier entered guilty pleas to robbery against the man, appeared at Northampton Crown Court on Thursday, June 17, for sentence.

Racca, of Nursery Lane, Northampton, was also dealt with over an incident at a Northampton pub in March 2020. He was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison for robbery, threatening behaviour, dangerous driving and criminal damage.

Randall, of Whiston Road, Northampton, was jailed for six years and four months for robbery.

Speaking afterwards, investigating officer Detective Sergeant Alex Lowe, of Northamptonshire Police’s CID, said: “Racca and Randall carried out a cowardly assault on a man in his own home, where he had every right to feel safe.

“The violence used on him as he lay restrained and trapped would have been terrifying, and he still suffers the after-effects of this attack, which has understandably massively affected his ability to trust people.

“I’m really pleased at these substantial custodial sentences, which I hope will go some way to reassuring the victim that justice has been done.”