Police have arrested and charged four people, including a 17-year-old boy, with torturing and abusing a young, mentally disabled man in Hamilton, Ont.

"It was severe," Hamilton police Sgt. Terri-Lynn Collings said Wednesday. "He was burned, he was beaten. He had bones that were broken. A fractured skull. They were considered life-threatening (injuries) when we took him to the hospital."

Investigators believe the man, 22, was lured by people he knew and trusted and held captive for nearly a month in a Hamilton apartment. Collings said the victim also had money taken from his bank account.

Police have charged Stanley Brown, 30, Nathaniel Jug, 22, and Dakota Thompson, 20, with one count each of aggravated assault and forcible confinement.

A 17-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., was also arrested Tuesday and scheduled to appear in court Thursday. He cannot be named under provisions in the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

It is expected the four will also face further charges of aggravated assault, robbery and threatening death. Dates for the bail hearings for the adults have not been set.

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