07 February 2024 , 22:59
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A man has died after he was "kidnapped and tortured" in a shocking attack understood to have been shared on social media app SnapChat.
Alan Lawson, 36, is believed to have been brutally assaulted and then left for dead at his home on Sunday. The man succumbed to his injuries in hospital two days later.
Mr Lawson's alleged attacker is said to have held him hostage while he subjected him to horrific injuries in the lead up to his death. The man later boasted of the attack online, sharing footage he claimed showed Mr Lawson on the floor of a blood-splattered room in Saltcoats, Ayrshire. Images of the clip are too graphic to share but show stained clothes and bedsheets scattered across a wooden floor next to the wounded victim.
The alleged attacker also shared a vile selfie of himself with his face and naked torso smeared with blood. Sources who viewed the traumatising clips on SnapChat say his attacker claimed Mr Lawson was chained to a radiator while he was beaten and slashed, leaving him with grotesque injuries.
The alleged attacker shared a selfie of himself smeared in blood (Daily Record)They say his attacker also claimed to have used superglue in a bid to repair a devastating wound inflicted on Mr Lawson's head, Daily Record reports.
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Police Scotland confirmed they are probing the "unexplained" death of a 36-year-old man and that their enquiries are ongoing. They did not confirm whether Mr Lawson's death is being treated as murder or if officers in charge of the probe are aware of the online images which are being widely shared. Sources say Mr Lawson's attacker has now "gone on the run" and is believed to be hiding in a nearby town.
One local in the area said: "It's absolutely sickening what has happened to him. It's like something out of a horror film. He was taken away from his home, tortured then dumped back at his own house. I don't know how anyone could do that to another human being. There are some truly evil people out there."
Another local said: "It's scary to think that someone could do this and still be walking out. It's really worrying. Most if not all of us around here have seen the pictures. They are absolutely horrifying."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Officers are investigating the death of a man following a report of an assault on New England Road, Saltcoats on Sunday, February 4, 2024. The 36-year-old man died in hospital on Tuesday, 6 February. His death is being treated as unexplained and enquiries are ongoing."
Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting reference number 3304 of February 4, 2024.