Violent Thugs Brutally Attack Man Over Unpaid Debt—Threaten His Family in Chilling Warning

A man who fell behind on repaying a £300 debt was ambushed and beaten behind a shop by two thugs who decided to take matters into their own hands.

Simon Hendra and Barry McLean, reportedly unhappy about the unpaid money, lured the victim behind the Co-op in Launceston on December 14 last year and attacked him. Armed with a knuckle duster and a metal pole—though they didn’t end up using them—the pair reportedly resorted to their fists, repeatedly punching the man in the head and ribs, leaving him needing hospital treatment.

Truro Crown Court heard how, despite the man’s desperate pleas that he couldn’t afford to pay, Hendra and McLean ignored him and even threatened to hurt him and his family if he didn’t cough up the cash.

The vicious attack left the victim with a deep wound to the back of his head that needed stitches, a split lip, and extensive bruising. In a statement read out in court, he revealed the assault had left him not only physically hurt but also struggling mentally. Unable to return to work, he now avoids certain areas of Launceston out of fear of running into his attackers again and worries about potential revenge attacks.

He also explained that he had moved away from the drug scene to try and turn his life around, making the brutal beating even more difficult to comprehend. Hendra, 36, from Lanstephan, Launceston, and McLean, from Callington, were both arrested and later pleaded guilty to assault and inflicting actual bodily harm.

Hendra’s barrister told the court that although he had 13 previous convictions for 37 offenses, none of them involved violence, and his past crimes were from over eight years ago. Now a father of three, working as a mechanic, and in a stable relationship, the barrister argued that he was no longer the same man he had once been.

McLean, on the other hand, had previous convictions, including one for actual bodily harm (ABH) in 2023. His barrister claimed McLean had originally lent the victim money out of goodwill, even helping him find accommodation and a job when he was struggling. But after repeated failed attempts to get the money back, frustration got the better of him, leading to a violent confrontation.

Sentencing both men to 15 months in prison, Judge Simon Carr was clear about the severity of their actions. He said: “The victim in this case owed you money and fell behind on his debt payments. When he didn’t pay, you threatened him and his family with violence. He was lured to the Co-op and you carried weapons to the area. While you didn’t use these weapons, you attacked him with your fists and made it clear that this is what he could expect if he didn’t pay up.”

Hendra and McLean will serve 40% of their sentence before being released on license, with any time spent on remand counting towards their jail term.

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