Man speaks of Portuguese kidnap and torture ordeal

A Scottish man who was apparently kidnapped and tortured in the Algarve yesterday spoke of his ordeal.

James Ross, from Wick in Caithness, disappeared after travelling to Portugal on October 5.

According to reports the 26-year-old had an ear, two fingers and three toes chopped off and was kept in a cage in a row over an unpaid debt.

In October, local newspaper Correio da Manha claimed Mr Ross was tortured for 13 days before escaping from his captors in the village of Boliqueime, near the town of Loule, on October 18.

He was found bleeding in the street in the nearby village of Alfontes by a local man.

Four British men were arrested after Mr Ross was found injured and are currently being held in custody in Lisbon.

Speaking from Lisbon, Mr Ross told the Scottish News of the World: “Nobody can imagine what I’ve been through. I was tortured within an inch of my life. I really did think I was a goner.

“I never thought I’d see my wife, family or Scotland again.”

The father-of-two told the paper he went to Portugal to talk to a man about £2,000 that he owed for his wedding.

His wife Donna, who is with him in Lisbon, told the paper: “All I want for Christmas is to be with him. I never want to leave him. James is getting better, he’s improving by the day.”