A man who kidnapped a terrified teenager has been jailed for more than three years.

Zaheer Ahmed believed 17-year-old Alan Clinch knew where his missing sisters were.

He was desperate to track them down after they fled from their family and asked for police protection.

His sister Azea, 22, had been going out with Mr Clinch while they worked together in Crawley, Hove Crown court heard.

The relationship ended but she was sent to Pakistan for an arranged marriage after her family found out.

She did not go through with the marriage and was given police protection after she flew back to Heathrow on February 2 last year.

At the same time Ahmed's other sister Amina, 19, left home without telling her family and also sought police protection.

During a trial last month the court heard 18-year-old Cache Fenlon had phoned Mr Clinch and arranged a meeting to pay him some money he owed.

When they met on a bridge over the A23, Ahmed appeared and bundled Mr Clinch into a car, where his hands were tied.

He was driven to the Mill Pond at Gossops Green where Ahmed told him to get out.

Mr Clinch claimed Ahmed pulled out a gun. He told the jury: "I was the most scared I had ever been in my life."

He has since moved out of Crawley as a result of his ordeal. The court heard that the gun had not been seen by anyone else and one had not been recovered.

Ahmed, of Five Acres, Northgate, Crawley, was found guilty of kidnap and false imprisonment but was cleared of having a firearm.

Fenlon, 18, of Albany Road, Southgate, was convicted of false imprisonment.

Steven Hadleigh, defending, said Fenlon's involvement was limited to arranging the meeting with Mr Clinch and being there.

Mr Hadleigh said even the victim had told the jury Fenlon had said and done nothing to him during his ordeal.

Edward Boateng-Addo, defending Ahmed, said: "He takes a responsible role in his family, who are everything to him.

"He wanted to try to put things right and to try to put their minds at rest.

"He wants the court to know that he is deeply sorry not only for the effect this has had on his family but on the victim that day."

Fenlon, who has a previous conviction for causing actual bodily harm, was sent to a young offenders' institute for 18 months yesterday.

Ahmed has previous convictions for grievous bodily harm and making a hoax bomb call.

He is currently serving a sentence of three years and eight months for supplying Class-A drugs in Crawley.

He was given an extra three years and six months for kidnap and false imprisonment when the two appeared at Hove Crown Court for sentence.

Ahmed will not begin serving that sentence until he has completed his time inside for supplying drugs.

Judge Cedric Joseph told him: "The victim was clearly terrified.

"If you really did have a genuine concern for the welfare of your sisters, one of whom had gone to Pakistan for an arranged marriage which did not go through, this was not the way to show it.

"Having sought police protection, they had changed telephone numbers and clearly wanted to avoid contact with you and other family members.

"You suspected the victim had played a part in them leaving home.

"You kidnapped him in order to try to find out the whereabouts of your sisters and to frighten him off having any further contact with them."