Abducted man forced to put hands and face into corrosive liquid over drug debt

A man who had been abducted and tortured was forced to put his hands and face into a “corrosive” liquid over a drug debt, a court has heard.

The victim told police about his ordeal after they found him walking in the middle of a road in Kirkcaldy, Fife, injured and with his hands covered in bandages on March 11, 2026.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how two men – Sean Pratt, 30, and Dylan Allan, 29 – had earlier subjected the man to a serious assault with three other men at a property in the Fife town.

On Thursday, prosecutor Bill McVicar told judge Lord Harrower of how the victim was held at the address “against his will” for almost 12 hours.

Mr McVicar said the man was then subjected to a series of physical assaults.

Investigators established that Pratt’s involvement in the assaults was “more limited” than that of his co-accused Allan.

During the attacks, the man was slapped and kicked in the back of his head and had his middle and ring fingers burned with a lighter.

Mr McVicar added: “He was told to put his hands in a bowl of liquid, which is thought to be ammonia. It burned.

“He removed his hands, and the accused Sean Pratt forced his right hand back into the bowl.

“He was then told to put his head into the bowl, which he did, and he felt his eyes burning.”

Mr McVicar told the court that detectives investigating the case found out the motive for the attacks against the man related to the drugs trade.

Mr McVicar made a reference to a slang term used by drug dealers, which has been inspired by how cuckoo birds take over nests belonging to other birds.

In recent years, detectives have established that the phrase is used by gangsters who take advantage of homes belonging to vulnerable people.

He added: “The incident in the charge is believed to arise from missing drugs which had been stored in the complainer’s house by men who had taken over that address in a process known as ‘cuckooing’.

“The complainer took back possession of his home and had the locks changed.

“The complainer is believed to have made use of certain drugs still in the house at that point.”

Pratt and Allan pleaded guilty to serious assault charges before Lord Harrower.

Pratt pleaded guilty to a charge of abducting the man, repeatedly threatening him and detaining him against his will. He then repeatedly struck and kicked the complainer on the head and burned his fingers with a lighter before instructing him to place his hands in a bowl of “corrosive liquid” before forcing his hands into the liquid.

He then instructed the man to place his head into the bowl of corrosive liquid before slicing his lower clothing with a knife

The charge to which Allan pleaded guilty to stated that he abducted the victim by compelling him to enter a car and drove him to locations in Fife. He then assaulted him at a location in Kirkcaldy and at another location in Fife, repeatedly striking him on the head with a knife before telling him to put his hands in the air.

Allan then repeatedly aimed a crossbow at the man.

On Thursday, Mr McVicar told the court that CCTV footage captured the pair’s criminal conduct.

Speaking about the assaults, the prosecution lawyer added: “Allan then produced a large Rambo-style knife and cut the inside of the legs of the complainer’s jeans with the knife.

“Later, the accused Allan produced a crossbow which he pointed at the complainer, telling him to put up his hands.

“Thereafter, any time the complainer lowered his hands, he’d point the crossbow at him.

“The accused Allan then introduced a large Bully dog holding him by the collar as the dog barked, snarled and lunged at the complainer with Allan laughing throughout.“

The court heard that the complainer was later seen walking in the road by the police, who stopped and asked him what had happened.

Mr McVicar added: “The complainer replied: ‘I’ve had a kick in up the road. I’ve been tortured. It’s an unpaid drug debt.”

The court heard that the man then told the police what had happened and identified some of the men responsible for the attack.

The court heard that the victim was later treated for his injuries at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.

Judge Lord Harrower remanded the pair into custody and deferred sentence to obtain reports.

They will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh later in the year.