A group of Kingston University students have been cleared of kidnapping and torturing another man with a heated screwdriver.

The two-week trial at Kingston Crown Court heard claims five men kidnapped receptionist Vrajesh Yadav and assaulted him with a heated screw driver, belt and a spanner in a four-hour ordeal on November 28 last year.

It was claimed the students punched and dragged their 20-year-old victim from Norbiton station back to their maisonette in Robin Hood Way, Kingston.

Mr Yadav was made to clean up his own blood stains using detergent and allowed to frequently wash the blood off his face in the bathroom, the jury had heard.

They were also accused of robbing him of a silver watch, Fendi wallet, three Visa cards, cash and a Blackberry phone.

But doubts were raised on Mr Yadav's account during the trial as he was accused of giving conflicting accounts of the assault and "making it up". 

Mohammed Afzal, 22, from Walsall, Rayad Mohammed Miah, 22, from Birmingham and Ebrahim Hassan Shaikh, 19, of Wood Street, Kingston, were cleared by the jury yesterday afternoon of robbery, kidnap, attempted robbery and attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm.

Gasim Gasim, 22, of Burnham Street, Kingston, was cleared of false imprisonment, and attempting to inflict grevious bodily harm.

Sooraj Noori, 20, of King Henry’s Road, Kingston, was found not guilty of false imprisonment, attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm and kidnapping.