A FATHER and son were jailed after a woman was kidnapped, repeatedly beaten and told she was going to be shot dead.

Charles David Richards, 60, and his son Anthony John Richards, 21, both of The Walk, Nantyglo,were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday after admitting kidnapping and assault occasioning bodily harm on 28-year-old Joanne Clarke from Brynmawr.

Prosecutor John Warren said the kidnap happened outside Ebbw Vale's Job Centre on September 17 2010, at 10.30am, as horrified onlookers watched.

He read a statement from a witness, who was with her husband in a car behind the defendants’ Silver Peugeot Estate.

She said Charles Richards was driving erratically, before Anthony Richards jumped out after spotting Ms Clarke. The pair then forced her “kicking and screaming” into the back of the vehicle.

The couple phoned the police and followed the car to a mountain above Nantyglo.

She said throughout the journey, Anthony Richards punched the complainant viciously, saying they stopped following after 20 minutes, describing the pursuit as "traumatic and terrifying".

Mr Warren said Ms Clarke was having a sexual relationship with Charles Richards, who is a first cousin of her mother.

In interview, she said he kept screaming “Where’s my £57,000, you stole from my wardrobe” during the ordeal.

She said Anthony Richards kept shouting “I’m going to take you up the mountain and shoot you” and “I’m going to kill her, dig a hole and bury her”.

On the mountain, Anthony Richards dragged Ms Clarke from the car, whipped with a length of flexible tubing as he kicked her to the ribs and head. Both her eyes were swollen, while she had cuts on her face and large welts on her back.

Ms Clarke told police she begged Charles Richards to stop his son, but he looked away and said “It’s out of my hands”.

She was put back in the car and there was further talk of shooting her as they drove, before police found the three parked at Brynmawr Library at around 12.20pm.

For Charles Richards, Jeff Jones, said he played no part in the beating, adding it was £2,700 that went missing not £57,000.

Eugene Egan, for Anthony Richards, said his client “knows what he did was despicable”.

Judge Neil Bidder QC said the complainant was “absoutely terrified” and “completely humiliated”.

He sentenced Anthony Richards to concurrent sentences of four years for kidnapping and 18 months for assault occasioning ABH. Charles Richards got concurrent terms of two and a half years and 12 months for the same offences.

They have both served 122 days on remand and must serve half their terms in jail.