A PAIR of thugs who tied a terrified teenager to his bed and tortured him with a cigarette lighter in a vigilante attack have been jailed.

Phillip Robertson, 22, and Jason Bristow, 18, used an electric flex from a toaster to bind their 16-year-old victim before singeing the boy's pubic hair.

The pair claim they were investigating a break-in at a friend's house.

And David Swinstead, representing Robertson, told the court: "In the community of Pinehurst and Penhill it is perhaps the way some things are dealt with; the community deals with some things themselves."

Lynne Matthews, prosecuting, told Swindon crown court that the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, knew his attackers as they were friends of his brother.

She said a week before Christmas last year the two men went to speak to the victim at his parents' house.

Robertson told him he needed to speak to him so he went with him and found Bristow outside in a car.

She said: "Robertson then immediately asked if he had been contacted by the police about a burglary at a house on Limes Avenue. He accused him of doing the burglary."

Bristow then made similar allegations and they drove him to the hostel where he was living.

The prosecutor said: "By this time he was frightened. Jason Bristow punched him to the left cheekbone, another by the left eye and another to the right of the head.

"Phillip Robertson then attacked him by pushing him against the wall and asking him where the money was and what he had spent it on.

"The boy insisted he knew nothing of the burglary. They searched him and removed £24 and his mobile phone.

"Then Phillip Robertson indicated he had an idea and cutting the cord from some tracksuit bottoms and the flex from a toaster the two tied him to his bed."

She said a belt was also used to tie one of his hands while the toaster flex bound his ankles together and then to the grid of the bed.

"They told him he was lying. Then Phillip Robertson grabbed a cigarette lighter. The victim begged 'No Phil, please don't, I'm telling the truth, I swear on my mum's life'."

She said that Robertson then put the lighter to the youngster's pubic hair.

Robertson then sprayed him all over with deodorant and told Bristow to let him go

The men then filled a rucksack with a games console, games and DVDs and made him drive them back to Pinehurst.

Before letting him the boy was warned that his family would be harmed if he told the police.

Robertson, of Beech Avenue, Pinehurst and Bristow, of Osborne Street, Gorse Hill, admitted theft and actual bodily harm.

Mr Swinstead, for Robertson, said that a neighbour of his client had been burgled and their Christmas money stolen from under a pot in their kitchen and the victim knew about the hiding place.

Chris Smyth, for Bristow, said that his client was not the one with the lighter but accepted he must take responsibility for all of that took place.

He said it was more akin to bullying and he was full of remorse for what he had done.

Jailing Robertson for 16 months and Bristow for ten months, Recorder George Leggatt QC said it was not for them to take the law into their own hands.

He said "It is said today you thought he had stolen from a neighbour. It is not for you to make judgements of guilt or hand out punishments. You terrified and humiliated a boy who was much younger than yourselves."

Tamash Lal