Raynor Earnshaw: Buxton man sentenced over fake abduction while eating at Avocado Cafe, Brighton Le Sands

The terrified mum of a paroled kidnapper thought her son’s life was in danger with his kidnappers planning to start chopping off “a finger every 15 minutes” — but this abduction was all a deceitful ploy to extort thousands from his family.

For just over six hours, the terrified mum and aunty of a paroled kidnapper thought the young man’s life was in immediate danger as they received a series of text messages and phone calls warning his abductors would “chop a finger off every 15 minutes” if they didn’t immediately cough up thousands of dollars in ransom, a court heard.

But this was all, as Judge John North told Downing District Court, “a litany of lies” concocted up by 32-year-old Buxton man Raynor Earnshaw.

“The motive was to deceive his mother and aunt to part with either $20,000 or $10,000 to purchase illicit drugs,” he said.

Now NewsLocal can reveal the terrifying series of text messages and phone calls Earnshaw sent to his family.

Documents tendered to Downing District Court reveal Earnshaw first called his aunty at 4:51am.

Raynor Earnshaw has been sentenced over faking his own kidnapping. Picture: Channel 7

“Aunty can you please deposit 10k into my account they’re going to rape me,” the call transcript reads.

Soon after, at 4:55am, Earnshaw’s mother received a similar call. In it, Earnshaw said he needs $10,000 because he “f**ked these people over,” a court heard.

Raynor Earnshaw’s calls and texts ramped up as the hours passed. Source: Channel 7

Over the following hours, the threats ramped up.

The court heard Earnshaw told his mum and aunty he would be harmed, hurt or killed if they did not hand over the money.

“As the communications continued … (Earnshaw said) he had actually been hurt by the people holding him against his will, including having been sodomised with a broom stick, his hand broken and that he had been stabbed in the torso,” court documents state.

Earnshaw also called his mum a “dumb c***”, a “heartless c***” and asked her to put his dad’s truck up for sale, sell her own car, take out a mortgage on her home and give him antique furniture from his grandparents home, court documents reveal.

Earnshaw (pictured in white) was arrested at a Brighton Le Sands cafe. Picture: Channel 7

“Thanks mum, this is the start, it’s going to be a finger every 15 minutes f*** you … F*** you my death is on you,” Earnshaw wrote.

In a particularly chilling call, Earnshaw’s mother spoke with an unidentified man who said “I’m just the messenger” and “I know where you live”, a court heard.

When this man said Earnshaw “owes the boys”, the mum asked if she could pay later, court documents state.

“I don’t have the money … I’m not a bank, I’m not rich, I work every fricken day to live,” the mum said.

“Yeah, everybody’s struggling, you don’t need to explain yourself to me … Do you want to help him or not help him,” this unknown man said.

The court heard police were with Earnshaw’s mother from 9am, trying to find her son, when they spotted him at a cafe and placed him under arrest just after 11am.

The 32-year-old was captured on CCTV at a Brighton Le Sands cafe, casually flicking through his phone and eating breakfast, while subjecting his family to hell.

The court also heard when police Google searched “stab wound”, this search produced a generic image of a stab wound — the exact same image Earnshaw sent to his mum and aunt.

At his sentencing, Judge North said there was no debt, no kidnapping, no danger — only the desire to purchase illicit drugs.

Earnshaw had been out of prison for 10 weeks on parole when he tried this sickening ploy, the court heard.

Ironically, Earnshaw had previously been behind bars for an actual kidnapping — he had helped another kidnapper stuff a person into the boot of a car.

Earlier, Earnshaw pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception.

For his crimes, Judge North sentenced Earnshaw to 30 month behind bars. He will be eligible for release in October 2022.