A man who was visiting Wollongong before going on an overseas trip ended up stranded in Appin and fearing for his life after two opportunistic criminals forced him into his hire car and robbed him.
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Illawarra men Carl Lawrence, 29, and Luke Ronald Murray, 41, were sentenced for the terrifying crime at Wollongong District Court on Wednesday.
The victim had flown to Sydney from Griffith on December 20 last year before he planned to travel overseas the next day, the court heard. He booked a hire car and travelled to Wollongong after organising to purchase a Samsung Galaxy Watch on Facebook Marketplace.
An arrangement was made with the seller to meet at the Fairy Meadow McDonalds carpark, then the man followed in his car to the seller's Mangerton home about 10.15pm.
Lawrence and Murray - who had nothing to do with the Marketplace purchase - approached the victim while he was waiting by his car, and asked him for a lift. This quickly turned into a threat.
"You're going to take us," Murray said.
The court heard the victim felt so threatened he feared for his life, as Murray sat in the passenger seat and Lawrence in the back. The threats continued.
"We are going to rob you," Murray said, as he then forced the victim out of the driver's seat.
The victim, who had a flight the next day, said they could have the car so long as they took him back to Sydney.
"Shut up or I'll f--- your face up," Murray said.
Murray, who the court heard was the "leader" in the kidnapping, then demanded the victim unlock his phone and remove his passcodes while threatening to stab him.
The pair took $600 from the man's wallet, and threatened to "track him down" if he went to the police.
They also took his AMEX card before driving off, leaving him in the dark and stranded at Appin. The victim walked to a hotel and contacted police from there.
Shortly after, CCTV captured the men at an ATM in Appin withdrawing $890 from the victim's card. They also left their fingerprints in the hire car.
The pair were arrested shortly after in January, and have remained behind bars since. They pleaded guilty to detaining a person with an intent to obtain financial advantage and driving/being carried in a car without the owner's consent.
Murray pleaded guilty to an extra charge of dealing with the proceeds of a crime.
In court, Judge Andrew Haesler read out a victim impact statement on behalf of the man who detailed the long-lasting emotional impact of the unprovoked crime, including an inability to trust people.
He had also since uprooted his life and moved from rural New South Wales to Queensland after feeling "uncomfortable returning home" knowing Lawrence and Murray had his address.
In sentencing, Judge Haesler said the victim was "effectively helpless", adding the offence was an "opportunistic" crime by two men both on parole.
"You took away his liberty, took away his property, and left him emotionally scarred," he said.
Judge Haesler took into account the backgrounds of Lawrence and Murray, who have both spent most of their adult lives behind bars, and endured significantly difficult upbringings - with both using meth from a young age.
Lawrence was sentenced to four years and three months behind bars, backdating from February 24 this year, and Murray was handed a slightly longer sentence of four years and six months jail, backdating from May 21 this year.
Both were handed the same non-parole period of two years and eight months.
Read more Illawarra court and crime stories here.
Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
