The five men accused of kidnapping and brutally beating a man found inside an abandoned building in downtown Orillia, Ont., over the weekend appeared in court as they seek bail hearings.
Provincial Police in Orillia were called to a former gas station along Colborne Street East and Peter Street at about 9 p.m. on Saturday following reports of suspicious activity involving masked suspects.
Police found a U-Haul van parked in front of the building and discovered a Mississauga man inside, bound and suffering serious injuries that needed treatment at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital. Police did not say how or whether the accused knew the man.
The five men accused in the alleged kidnapping include 62-year-old Surjit Singh Bains of Woodbridge, 31-year-old Manraj Mann, 41-year-old Dwayne Pennant and 30-year-old Baltej Sandhu all from Brampton and 51-year-old Gergy Anthony Gorburn of Toronto.
Each man faces charges of kidnapping, forcible confinement, and breaking and entering to commit an indictable offence.
Lawyers for several of the accused spoke on their behalf as the men appeared from jail in Penetanguishene, seeking special bail hearings with the Crown to secure their release from custody.
The accused are scheduled to return to a virtual courtroom early next week. The allegations against them have not been tested in court.
