A Redditch teenager was kidnapped and forced to steal beer from local off-licences, a jury heard.

Wesley Martin, aged 18, was taken on two shoplifting expeditions but then escaped.

He was found hiding in bushes and suffered a broken finger in a beating.

He was later taken for a joyride by Keith Langton and Matthew Bodwell before the hot-wired Vauxhall Astra was deliberately rammed into a taxi, said Paul Farrer, prosecuting at Worcester Crown Court.

He claimed that Mr Martin made a complaint but was then forced to phone Redditch police to withdraw it.

Langton, aged 20, of Watery Lane, Redditch, and Bodwell, 19, of Acton Close, Redditch, deny three counts of blackmail, kidnap, assault causing actual bodily harm and aggravated vehicle taking.

Langton also denies perverting the course of justice.

Mr Martin was invited for a drive by the defendants on April 23 this year, said Mr Farrer. They made threats to force him to steal beer for them.

The victim grabbed beer from Booze Busters off-licence in Studley and another premises and handed it over.

Next day he was driven to Booze Busters again but walked past and escaped.

The pair confronted Mr Martin in the street five days later. He ran off but was caught in bushes and attacked.

The teenager was frogmarched to McColls off-licence, in Redditch, and followed in by Langton to ensure he did not slip away, said Mr Farrer.

But in an effort to thwart the theft, he took a crate of 24 cans of lager to a counter and asked a shop assistant if he could walk off with it.

When his request was refused, Mr Martin left empty-handed, but the incident was captured on a security video.

Mr Martin was taken to a Spar shop in Redditch, in the Astra, and ordered to steal more beer.

Langton, allegedly supervising him, was filmed on the shop's video.

Mr Farrer said Langton then drove on the tail of a Peugeot taxi before overtaking and ramming it.

Bodwell and Mr Martin were his passengers.

Mr Martin was taken at midnight to a gardening centre and ordered to steal some valuable miniature trees.

Taken back a second time that night, he set off an alarm to frighten the defendants away, then lay low for hours before going to hospital for treatment to his broken finger and to police.

On May 8, Langton and another man caught up with him and he was ordered to withdraw his complaint.

Mr Farrer said an officer heard warning whispers as Mr Martin made the call on a mobile phone.

Langton told police he had not committed any offences.

He admitted he was on one shop video film but denied he was on the other.

Bodwell said he knew Mr Martin from school but there had never been any problems between them.

Mr Martin told the jury that the defendants 'asked me to rob beer for them'.

He admitted carrying out thefts under pressure because he feared a beating.

The trial continues.