One of James Meadows' killers tortured a man while on the run for murder, the ECHO can now reveal.
Dylan Westall , 29, was found guilty of murdering the 17-year-old, who was shot in the head on a motorbike.
Westall and Michael Roberts , 25, targeted James in Lyme Cross Grove, Huyton on October 8, 2017.
After the killing, Westall ditched his mobile phone and went to ground, spending nearly nine months on the run.
He claimed he hadn't done anything wrong so didn't hand himself in to police, while living at his cannabis farms.
WESTALL MUGSHOT HERE, ALSO USE AS MAIN PIC
Westall was finally arrested during the horrifying ordeal of a man who was kidnapped and subjected to sadistic violence.
During the murder trial, jurors were told about the two crimes committed by Westall in Huyton in July 2018.
He was convicted of false imprisonment and causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent at a trial in February.
In a carefully-worded "agreed fact", it was explained a man was "held against his will" just after 11pm on July 26, 2018.
Prosecutors said the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was attacked "by a number of men to exact a ransom".
Jurors heard he was tied to a kitchen chair and "continually assaulted using a variety of weapons" resulting in serious injuries.
He was held until armed police rescued him at around 6pm and detained most of the men involved, including Westall.
Jurors heard Westall was involved in the false imprisonment and assault "for at least some of the time the man was held".
But they weren't told that he was also charged with kidnap, but the jury in that trial couldn't reach a verdict on this count.
The ECHO can now tell the full shocking story including Westall's role, which we have been legally restricted from doing so.
The victim was kidnapped by a gang disguised as police officers, then tortured over 18 hours, with his captors stopping only to eat a McDonald's.
The helpless dad was attacked with metal batons and a machete, was stabbed, had his eye gouged, was burnt with an iron and had boiling water poured over him.
The gang demanded a £200,000 ransom from his terrified family, who were forced to listen to their loved one's screams of pain.
David Kelly, Liam Field and three other men dressed as police - allegedly including Westall - first went to the victim's home.
Described by the victim's devastated wife as "polite and confident", they searched the home and seemingly arrested her husband.
It is understood the thugs, who stole £300 and took his wife's mobile phone, thought the victim's family were involved in drug dealing.
They put him in a stolen Audi A3 and even radioed ahead as if calling a police station - a message answered by another thug hidden in the car boot.
Peter Hussey, prosecuting, said: "The victim was then told 'we're not police officers, it's going to be a long night' before he was struck with a metal pole to the face."
The man was taken to a Whiston park, where he was handcuffed to a barrier, and struck with a machete through one foot.
The gang were joined by two males on a motorbike, including a 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
When it started getting light around 3.30am, they took their victim in the car boot to the Woodhurst Close home of an associate, John Hayter.
Once inside, the gang handcuffed their victim to a chair in the kitchen and bound his legs with duct tape, then tortured him until 6pm.
He had a kettle of boiling water poured over him, was stabbed in the legs with knives, and struck with a broom until the handle broke.
The handle, which had an exposed screw, was then used to gouge one of his eyes.
The gang intended to use his wife's phone to make demands, but couldn't unlock it, so bought a top-up mobile and went to his home.
In a recording they could be heard screaming the number out and demanding cash, as the tearful woman told them she didn't have it.
At one stage Hayter and the 17-year-old drove to McDonald's, where they bought £60 of food for the merciless gang.
Police stormed the property just after 6pm and arrested the thugs, some of whom were hiding in a cupboard under the stairs.
Prosecutors alleged Westall was one of the men dressed as police and said his DNA was found on a uniform.
They said he took part in the torture, but he claimed he only came to the house to check on a cannabis grow, found upstairs.
Westall accepted he knew what was going on, but suggested he wasn't involved and told the other men to leave.
The victim said his torture was mainly at the hands of Field and Kelly, and didn't identify Westall as an attacker.
But the jury in the trial was sure he was involved in both holding the man against his will and assaulting him.
The victim said "it would have been easier if I had been killed" due to the psychological harm he and his family suffered.
Judge Gary Woodall said it must have been "utterly terrifying" and the dad experienced "humiliation and degradation".
He said he believed the ordeal was filmed, as the man recalled a phone being held up, although no videos were recovered.
Judge Woodhall said: "The victim and his family have had to leave their home and the area where they lived.
"Their children have not been able to return to their schools."
Westall is yet to be sentenced for his involvement, which will be dealt with when he is sentenced for James' murder.
Kelly, 28, of Gonville Road, Bootle , was jailed for 13 and a half years for kidnap, false imprisonment and causing GBH with intent.
Field, 23, of Kevins Drive, Kirkby , was jailed for 12 years and nine months, for the same offences.
Another man, Bryan Thomas , 19, of Moorfoot Way, Kirkby, was locked up for 11 years over the same incident.
Thomas couldn't be named in initial reports because he was awaiting trial over a shooting in Manchester.
The "gun for hire" was jailed for 17 years over that incident , with an extended four years on licence.
Hayter, 41, of Woodhurst Close, Huyton, was jailed for eight years and one month for false imprisonment and causing GBH with intent.
The 17-year-old boy was locked up for four years for false imprisonment, plus a further 12 months for dealing heroin and crack cocaine.
