Home   Gravesend   News   Article

Gravesham Court attack: Steven Orman, Craig Hotchkiss and Chen Nyokanhete

Film of two drunken thugs brutally robbing and abducting a man in a random attack shocked a senior judge.

“I don’t think I have ever seen such violence in my experience, other than homicide,” said Judge Michael Carroll.

“It was literally sickening. It was absolutely unconscionable.”

Steven Orman, and Craig Hotchkiss punched, kicked and stamped on Samuel Filley before dragging him into a lift and taking him to the seventh floor at a block of flats in Gravesend.

Scroll down for video

Steven Orman
Steven Orman

As they did so, helped by Chen Nyokanhete, they threatened: “We are going to rape the ---- out of you.”

The victim, a train driver, was saved from further punishment after a concerned resident called the police and the three were arrested.

Orman, of Muston Drive, Chatham, and Hotchkiss, of Oak Road, Gravesend, were each jailed for seven years after admitting robbery and kidnap.

Nyokanhete, of Beaumont Drive, Northfleet, was jailed for three-and-a-half years after a jury convicted him of kidnap. He was acquitted of robbery.

VIDEO: Man abducted and robbed in random attack. Ben Kennedy reports

Maidstone Crown Court heard Orman, 24, and Nyokanhete, 25, were hanging around the flats at Gravesham Court, going up and down in the lifts, at 4am on April 12 2014.

Orman left the building and was unable to get back in. He was joined by 27-year-old Hotchkiss.

Mr Filley was leaving the flats after visiting a resident when he was confronted by the pair.

He was dragged back to the front door and punched and kicked,” said prosecutor Roger Daniells-Smith. “He was dragged around like a rag doll.

Craig Hotchkiss
Craig Hotchkiss
Chen Nyokanhete
Chen Nyokanhete

“Sometimes he was unconscious, sometimes feigning unconsciousness. He was stamped on and kicked. He suffered injuries virtually to the whole of his body.

“They removed items from his lifeless body. They wrenched a ring from his finger. His jacket was taken off. His wallet was inside.”

“It was literally sickening. It was absolutely unconscionable" - Judge Michael Caroll

Mr Filley told how Orman and Hotchkiss kept demanding that he get them into the flats, but he repeatedly told them he was unable to.

Nyokanhete eventually opened the door from inside and the victim was dragged into the lift. He was kicked further and threatened with rape.

A resident heard the commotion and called the police. Officers arrived quickly to see Mr Filley being dragged along the corridor.

The three men were arrested after a struggle. Mr Filley was taken to hospital and treated for his injuries.

Gravesham Court.
Gravesham Court.

Passing sentence, Judge Carroll said: “This arose out of a chance encounter with an innocent visitor to Gravesham Court.”

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More