Four men jailed for killing dad-of-two over missing cigarettes

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 10 Oct, 02:37 · Archive

Four men have been jailed after Tomasz Samel, a father of two, was tortured and set on fire in 2019.

Tomasz Samel, a 45-year-old father of two, was kidnapped in Birmingham in March 2019 by men claiming to be from Interpol. He was driven to the Liverpool area, where he was tortured and set on fire before being abandoned at a remote location. He managed to reach a nearby house and was taken to hospital, where he died three months later on 21 June 2019.

The attack was linked to the seizure of illicit and counterfeit cigarettes worth £1 million from a storage unit Samel owned in Aston, Birmingham. HM Revenue and Customs had seized the cigarettes on 22 February 2019. Samel was working for an organised crime group at the time, and the men who attacked him claimed they were teaching him a lesson over the loss.

Neil Jones, 48, and Tobiasz Kozlowski, 38, were the main organisers of the kidnap and killing. Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to falsely imprison. Jones also admitted manslaughter. They were sentenced to life at Birmingham Crown Court, with minimum terms of 34 and 33 years respectively. Kevin Wooden, 46, and Kye Arthur, 35, were cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 23 and 22 years respectively.

How it is being reported

• Four men jailed after father-of-two tortured, set alight and killed in horrific gang attackFour men have been jailed after a father of two was tortured, set alight and killed in a horrific gang attack. Tomasz Samel, 45, was kidnapped in March 2019 in Birmingham by three men claiming to be from Interpol, before being driven to the Liverpool area and attacked to be "taught a lesson" over the loss of cigarettes worth £1million. He died in hospital three months after the brutal attack on June 21 of the same year. Mr Samel's killing was linked to the seizure of illicit and counterfeit cigarettes which had been smuggled into the UK from Poland. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The…GB News · 10 Oct, 02:26
• Dad-of-two killed after being tortured and set on fire over missing cigarettesFrom L to R: Kye Arthur, 35, Neil Jones, 48, Tobiasz Kozlowski, 38, and Kevin Wooden, 46, (Picture: West Midlands Police) Four men who killed a dad-of-two by pouring petrol on him and setting him on fire have been jailed. Tomasz Samel, 45, was kidnapped in March 2019 in Birmingham by three men…Metro · 9 Oct, 19:32

In this story: Tomasz Samel · Neil Jones · Tobiasz Kozlowski · Kevin Wooden · Kye Arthur · Birmingham · Liverpool · Birmingham Crown Court

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem