Eleven members of a family who kidnapped and tortured a couple they falsely suspected of murdering a widow in Britain have been jailed.

The two victims - who have been given new identities and cannot be named for legal reasons - were held against their will and beaten by the group.

Judge Stephen Holt told Norwich Crown Court the group kidnapped and interrogated their victims in "scenes reminiscent of a Hollywood film".

The attacks took place after Gertrude Frankham (75), the widow of travellers' rights campaigner Eli Frankham, was found dead in December 2012.

The 11 members of Ms. Frankham's family falsely believed she had been murdered. They kidnapped and interrogated their victims in an attempt to extract confessions to the supposed killing.

Speaking after the group was sentenced, Police Superintendent Dennis Lacey said the case was the worst instance of vigilantism he had ever known.

"Despite there never being any evidence of murder they decided to take the law into their own hands through violence and intimidation," he said.

"In 27 years in the police, I have never seen anything like this in terms of the number of people involved and the seriousness of the assaults. Vigilantism cannot be tolerated and the sentences handed down reflect the unnecessary level of violence used".