Two men who tortured an elderly couple by pouring boiling water on them during a two-hour raid on their home have been jailed for life.
Daniel Wallace, 33, and Kacey Adams, 34, (pictured) tied up John Buswell, 66, and his wife Janis, 64, at their property in Kent, southern England, to stop them from escaping.
They beat them and threatened to cut off Mr Buswell’s ear unless he revealed codes for safes containing more than £45,000 (about $56,000). They then poured hot water from a kettle over them, leaving Mrs Buswell with appalling burns to her face and body.
At one point during the attack in April 2016, Mr Buswell was dragged into the living room and forced to watch Adams pouring another kettle of boiling water on his wife.
Prosecutor Tracy Ayling QC said: “Mr Buswell said he would give them the money and took them to a downstairs bathroom where there was a small safe, he thought contained £3,000 to £5,000. He was returned to the sitting room and was watching as Mrs Buswell had another full kettle of boiling water tipped over her by Adams. Mrs Buswell was screaming.”
Mr Buswell then took the attackers to a safe holding around £40,000. They eventually made away with gold watches, jewellery, bonds, foreign currency and car keys.
Both victims were taken to hospital with serious injuries. Mrs Buswell suffered approximately 30 per cent burns to her body and required treatment in an intensive care unit for a several months afterwards. The Buswells both suffer post-traumatic stress disorders and need counselling.
The thugs were caught via DNA evidence left on a cup at the victims’ home by Wallace.
Police arrested him and his accomplice on a plane at Heathrow Airport in London (video below).
They were returning from Dubai, where they went on a shopping spree in which they spent nearly £19,000 ($24,000) on designer clothes and electronic items.
Judge Charles Gratwicke said Adams and Wallace used “gratuitous violence for no reason”, adding: “You left having ruined the lives of those two pensioners.”
Sentencing at Chelmsford crown court this week, Judge Gratwicke called the attackers “highly dangerous, ruthless professional criminals”.
Adams and Wallace each got three concurrent life sentences. Two, each with a minimum of seven-and-a-half years, were for aggravated burglary and causing grievous bodily harm with intent – which they both admitted. Another, with a minimum of 12-and-a-half years, was for a drive-by shooting after being found guilty of conspiracy to murder following an earlier trial.