Adam Clapham murder: Drug gang who tortured father jailed for life

Adam Clapham, 31, was found dead in September 2022

The mother of a man tortured to death over a £300 debt has told a court that the manner of her son's death continues to give her nightmares.

Carole Clapham said Adam's death would forever be "imprinted on her thoughts" as five people were jailed for life for his murder.

Mr Clapham, 31, was tied up and attacked with a machete and doused with boiling water in September 2022.

His body was later found in a house in Spring Street, Rotherham.

The drug gang who killed him wanted to "send a message" over the missing drugs cash, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Mr Clapham and a second man were imprisoned by six gang members and then beaten, stripped and forced to perform sex acts on each other in a five-hour ordeal before being left for dead on 18 September.

The second victim, who suffered more than 50 injuries but survived and escaped, told a sentencing hearing on Monday how his attackers laughed as they filmed the "horrific" violence on mobile phones.

He said he had been "reliving the horror over and over" in the months since the attack.

The court heard "ringleader" Arbab Yusuf, 24, ran a drugs business from the homes of addicts and instigated the violence after £300 went missing from a house Mr Clapham had been left in charge of.

"Ringleader" Arbab Yusuf, left, and Robert Crookes played leading roles in the violence

Mr Clapham, who had a young daughter, was described by his mother as a "kind and gentle" man.

"No-one deserves what happened to Adam," said Mrs Clapham, who broke down in tears as she addressed a packed courtroom.

"The circumstances of his death give me nightmares and will forever be imprinted in my thoughts," she added.

Teenager Muhammad Ashraf, left, and Kieron Millar, were both jailed for life

Sentencing the gang, Mr Justice Dove said the violence had been "inhumane" in its "ferocity and relentlessness".

He said it was "impossible to imagine the mental anguish" suffered by Mr Clapham, who was found with more than 200 injuries.

The judge added the case was "clear evidence" of the "appalling consequences" of the drug trade.

Lynette Myers was jailed for 12 years

Four men and a teenage boy were jailed for life after being convicted of murder, false imprisonment, causing grievous bodily harm and two counts of rape last month.

They were:

• Yusuf, of Lord Street, Rotherham, who sentenced to a minimum of 39 years in prison;

• Robert Crookes, 31, of no fixed abode, who was sentenced to a minimum of 37 years;

• Kieron Millar, 30, of Mount Pleasant, Rotherham, who was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years;

• Muhammed Ashraf, 18, of Fraser Road, Rotherham, who was sentenced to a minimum of 28 years;

• A 17-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, and was sentenced to a minimum of 21 years.

Lynette Myers, 39, of Hounsfield Crescent, Rotherham, was jailed for at least 12 years for causing grievous bodily harm and false imprisonment.

Det Ch Insp Emma Knight, of South Yorkshire Police, said the sentences reflected the "extreme levels of violence used and the gravity of this group's offending".