He kidnapped a teenager over a quadbike theft. He got the wrong person

The teenager was tracked down and bundled into the back of a van

22:09, 25 Jul 2025

A man took part in the hunting down and kidnapping of a teenager believed to be responsible for the theft of quad bikes, a court has heard. Tyrone Sears was part of a group which bundled the teen into the back of a van before realising they had got the wrong person.

Sears - who has multiple aliases and more than 100 offences on his record - is the only one of the group who kidnapped the boy to be convicted after the prosecution offered no evidence against the others at trial. A judge at Swansea Crown Court[1] said in his experience the case was "a very unusual one".

Carina Hughes, prosecuting, told the court that the background to the incident was the theft of quadbikes and generators from a garage in the Cross Hands[2] area.

She said the owner of garage made a "concerted effort" to track down those responsible and that as a result of those enquiries a group of men assembled at the M4[3] motorway services at Penllergaer on February 3 this year.

The court heard the group travelled to a cafe where they spoke to a group of youths about the person they suspected of being the thief, and they were told he was in the Cimla area of Neath[4].

The group then travelled to the village in a Ford Tourneo van to find him.

The court heard that the van the teenager was driving and the van the men were in ended up driving towards each other, and that as the teen took evasive action he mounted the kerb and struck a girl on her scooter.

The prosecutor said the Sears removed the teenager from his van and dragged him to the Tourneo and pushed him inside. She said at one stage the teenager managed to escape from the Ford but was caught and returned to the van

The court heard that by now members of the public were on the scene with some tending to the girl who had been knocked down while confronted the men in the Ford. Sears responded to one of those who asked what was going on by saying: "He shouldn't be robbing quads, should he". For all the latest court stories sign up to our crime newsletter[5]

The court heard that the Ford then drove off with the teenager "in the boot" and while is not known exactly what happened next it appeared the teen showed the men a video on his phone of somebody confessing to the quadbike thefts and realisation dawned that it was "a case of mistaken identity".

The prosecutor said Sears then drove the teenager to the McDonald's restaurant at the Penllergaer services where he was collected by his support worker.

By now members of the public had alerted the police to the Cimla[6] incident and Sears and other men were arrested, with Sears giving he name of Steven McKenzie.

The court heard the teenager was noted to have cuts, bruises and scams to his face and body but it was not possible to say which had been caused during the kidnapping and which by the collision he had been involved in.

In his subsequent interview Sears said the incident had been a "citizen's arrest" and the teenager had been put in the back of the Tourneo as a result of the collision he had been involved in.

Tyrone Sears - also known as Steven McKenzie - of Carmel, Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire[7], had previously pleaded guilty to kidnap on the first day of trial when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 44 previous convictions for 104 offences including 17 for matters of violence.

The court heard that a number of other men had also gone on trial charged with kidnap over the incident but following evidence from the complainant, the prosecution had offered no evidence against them..

David Singh, for Sears, said in his submissions, the "genesis" of the incident lay at the door of the garage owner. He said it could not be that Sears was solely responsible for what happened in Cimla but said his client was the only one of those charged to plead guilty or be convicted.

He added that the defendant had driven the teenager to his support worker in Penllergaer "in the full knowledge that he was about to be arrested".

The barrister said his client had been on remand for 168 days which was equivalent to a 336-day sentence, and he invited the court to pass a sentence which would be, in effect, time served.

Judge Huw Rees said in his experience the case was a "very unusual one".

He said it was clear from evidence he heard at the trial that people had "taken justice into their own hands" over the theft of quadbikes.

He said kidnapping was a serous offence, but that it would be "an afront fairness" to ignore the wider circumstances of what happened in Cimla on the day in question.

The judge said Sears had a "truly appalling" record and he noted here were multiple aliases and dates of birth recorded on the system for the defendant.

The judge said Sears was entitled to a 10 per cent discount for his guilty plea but said he was going to pass a sentence of 336 days as invited to do by defence counsel.

He told Sears that subject to prison regulations he should be released "sooner not later".

Judge Rees told the defendant: "You would be well advised, at your age, to take stock of where your life is going."

References

1. ^ Swansea Crown Court (www.walesonline.co.uk)
2. ^ Cross Hands (www.walesonline.co.uk)
3. ^ the M4 (www.walesonline.co.uk)
4. ^ Neath (www.walesonline.co.uk)
5. ^ For all the latest court stories sign up to our crime newsletter (www.walesonline.co.uk)
6. ^ Cimla (www.walesonline.co.uk)
7. ^ Carmarthenshire (www.walesonline.co.uk)