A man who attacked his victim with a baseball bat and left him in Moreton Woods at night will serve a seven-year prison sentence.

Ryan Fear, 29 and of Bovington Close in Poole, falsely imprisoned and robbed another man over a drug debt.

He was handed the jail term at Bournemouth Crown Court on January 28 after previously pleading guilty to false imprisonment, possession of an offensive weapon (a baseball bat), robbery, and arson.

He was also made the subject of a 10-year restraining order not to contact his victim and two of their family members.

The debt was £200 but Fear had increased it to £300 due to interest that he had added on.

At around 7pm on August 13, 2018 Fear contacted his victim and asked to meet him at Tesco on Kinson Road in Bournemouth.

Once there, Fear told the man to get into his silver Vauxhall Astra where he felt threatened by the presence of a baseball bat. There was one other man in the car.

The victim felt he had no choice and he got into the car. Fear drove in silence toward Monkey World.

Fear pulled into the entrance of Moreton Forest and ordered his victim out of the car. The other occupant remained inside the vehicle.

The victim was marched down a gravel track before Fear attacked him with the baseball bat. During the assault, Fear threatened further violence if the victim did not hand over the two mobile phones he had - his own, which had a dead battery and his son's. Fear stole the working iPhone to prevent him from calling for help.

Fear then left his victim in the middle of the dark woods. His victim walked until he found an address where he could raise the alarm. He called his sister and asked her to collect him. The victim sustained a lump on the back of his head and an injury to his right elbow area.

The following day Fear contacted the victim asking for his money and the victim paid Fear the £300 he owed. The victim believed the debt was paid but Fear raised the amount further to £1,000.

Fear visited the victim’s home and caused damage to his flat door and also set a fire in the rear garden of the property on September 14, 2018.

Detective Constable Kate Rhodes, of Bournemouth CID, said: “Fear used extreme violence and intimidation to threaten his victim to retrieve the money he believed he was owed. Even after he committed the false imprisonment and robbery offences, he continued to cause damage to the victim’s address to further frighten him.

“I hope this lengthy sentence will send out a very strong message that offences such as this will simply not be tolerated and that victims will be supported regardless of the circumstances.”