'Wicked' Northampton duo handcuffed and robbed man they targeted through dating app

The victim thought he was agreeing to a sexual encounter - only for the men to beat and torture him for hours and demand his bank details.
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A man was handcuffed and robbed in his own home by two Northampton men who targeted him through a dating app.

The victim thought he was agreeing to a sexual encounter when he invited Juliano Racca, of Nursery Lane, and Ricky Randall, of Whiston Road, into his home.

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The men handcuffed him face down and tied his ankles but that was when the two men revealed their true intentions. They began beating and torturing their victim for his bank details and access to a safe.

Juliano Racca and Ricky Randall targeted their victim through the dating app FabGuys with a plan to tie them up and rob them.Juliano Racca and Ricky Randall targeted their victim through the dating app FabGuys with a plan to tie them up and rob them.
Juliano Racca and Ricky Randall targeted their victim through the dating app FabGuys with a plan to tie them up and rob them.

Northampton Crown Court heard today (June 17) how the man was subjected to the terrifying ordeal for hours, bound in his own home and beaten for information.

"He initially agreed to being handcuffed for a role-play scenario until he realised what was happening," said prosecutor Mr Ben Gow.

"As soon as he was handcuffed the two men became aggressive, punching him in the back and his head.

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"They demanded his safe combination and the PIN for his bank cards.

"Racca used a pair of knuckle dusters to beat him and activated a fire extinguisher with the nozzle in his face."

After hours of abuse, the two men warned him not to call the police on threat of harm - before leaving him restrained in his bedroom with no one to help.

In total, the pair left with the man's phone, Apple Air Pods, bank cards, £2,500 in cash, a CCTV camera and two bottles of alcohol.

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However, by pure good fortune, the SOS on the victim's phone activated and alerted his mother that something was wrong.

Officers arrived at the men's address shortly after and were able to track down both men in less than an hour by following the phone's GPS.

"The victim says he has been profoundly affected by the incident," said Mr Gow. "He has become anxious and it has severely affected his ability to sleep. He no longer leaves his address at night."

In court, Racca - who was described as the leader in the scheme - pleaded guilty to robbery and claimed he had realised the harm he caused while in custody. His defence barrister said he was "deeply regretful" and carried out the plan to pay off drug debts.

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Randall was said to have not used any violence himself in the incident in October 2020.

However, His Honour Judge Rupert Mayo said: "The offence is significantly aggravated by the fact he was tricked into letting you into his home. He thought you were there for a sexual encounter.

"You yourselves are not homosexual... In both your cases, your only motivation was simply greed... It was a very wicked trick to play.

"You left him handcuffed and restrained in his own home, his plight only ended because his phone had the good fortune to activate an SOS signal."

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Juliano Racca was also sentenced today for an incident at the White Elephant Pub in March 2020 where he smashed a wooden chair on the floor and drove his van at a number of people forcing them to jump out the way.

Racca, 31, was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison for robbery, threatening behaviour, dangerous driving and criminal damage.

Randall was jailed for six years and four months for robbery.