A Plymouth man dodged jail after forcing his ex-friend to snort glass fragments. The act was filmed and posted online.
Three men appeared in court: Leon Adkins, Jackson Selby, and Jude Davies. They pleaded guilty to several crimes.
The first crime was committed by Adkins. Police were called on August 7, 2023, after staff saw a car speeding away from a pub and suspected the occupants were using nitrous oxide. Adkins sat in the front seat.
Police smelled cannabis and saw nitrous oxide canisters and balloons. A knuckleduster was under his seat. Adkins said he made it in class. Police seized cannabis from Adkins, who was 20 years old at the time.
He didn’t answer questions when arrested. All three men faced a more serious charge: giving a harmful substance to Adkins’ former friend, because Adkins thought the friend damaged his car.
Adkins only had a learner’s permit. His windshield was badly damaged and experts said he couldn’t see well. The car door didn’t close, making it dangerous. The car also had nitrous oxide; there were many canisters and balloons inside.
The victim said he didn’t damage the car, and a witness agreed. Someone else paid Adkins for the damage because they actually broke the windscreen. Adkins still blamed his former friend and planned something drastic, knowing he might go to prison.
Adkins planned to “set up” the victim. He and Selby, age 19, set up a meeting on October 2, 2023. The victim got in the damaged car, and Adkins locked the doors. He demanded the victim get in the trunk and they inhaled nitrous oxide.
Selby got in the car and they made the victim snort glass fragments, filming it. The victim also had to swallow glass, and they said they would beat him if he refused. Police called the victim “vulnerable.”
Adkins told him to snort the glass, saying it was for breaking windows, and posted the video online.