A quartet of vicious kidnappers have been jailed for luring their victim to an Albion Park skate park and threatening him at knifepoint before leaving him stranded near a Jamberoo farmhouse.
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Andrew William John Beer, Murraydjah Kirby, Sinead Toni Fisher and Sophie Bentley were sentenced at Wollongong District Court on Monday for their roles in the terrifying early morning ordeal.
Each pleaded guilty to their respective charges which included a common count of kidnapping in company with intent to commit a serious indictable offence and occasioning actual bodily harm.
The court heard Beer, 21, was the primary offender when himself and Fisher, 29, organised to "do a rip" in June last year. The pair were seen in Snapchat videos boasting about what they were about to do.
Fisher added the male victim on Snapchat on June 3 and sent him a bikini picture, before organising to meet him at Albion Park skate park about 4am two days later.
The victim arrived in his Mazda ute and Fisher got into the passenger seat. Soon after, Beer and a masked Kirby, 20, appeared at the front of the ute and opened the doors.
The victim attempted to start his car however Bentley, 21, appeared and pulled his keys out of the ignition.
Beer pulled Fisher out of the front seat and held a knife towards the victim, yelling "you mess with the wrong girl, that's my partner. Where's your wallet?"
The men then stole tools from the victim's ute as well as his mobile phone off the dashboard, before Beer pressed the knife against the victim and said, "if you just cooperate, you won't get hurt".
Fisher alerted the group and said, "let's get out of here, the cops are coming", while Beer threatened to stab the victim in the neck.
"Let's go to yours and get your card and take every cent out of your bank," Beer said.
The victim was forced to drive Beer and Kirby to his Albion Park address, where they rummaged through his bedroom and took a number of items.
Beer and Kirby then demanded him to drive them to Dapto, while Bentley and Fisher followed behind in a separate car.
During the drive, the victim was made to pull over after Fisher called one of the men to let them know she was running low on fuel.
Beer told the victim get out of the car and take his shoes off, as the victim was punched several times by one of the men.
The quartet then drove off, leaving the victim - who sustained a split lip, bruising and grazing to his face - stranded. He sought help at a nearby Jamberoo farmhouse, with the occupants contacting triple-0.
Officers attended and took the man to Oak Flats police station where he provided a statement. That day, police found the man's ute at an Albion Park address.
Fisher was arrested on June 6 last year with police seizing the victim's shoes, phone and tools at her Avondale address, while Beer was arrested the next day. Kirby and Bentley were arrested the following week.
In court, Judge Christopher O'Brien heard how the offenders - each with lengthy criminal records - had grappled with significant drug abuse issues prior to the incident.
The Crown argued the quartet were motivated by financial gain and fuelling their drug habits.
Defence barrister Scott Fraser said it was clear from the facts Beer was the primary offender who organised the crime, before he picked up Kirby, who willingly involved himself in the plans that were already afoot.
Defence barrister Adam Booker argued Bentley's role only extended to her presence, except for when she snatched the keys from the victim's hands.
Judge O'Brien acknowledged Beer's "extremely disadvantaged upbringing and pointed to his immaturity which led to his offending - an example of which was heard in court when he called the judge a "f---ing dog" after being asked to stop laughing during submissions.
Beer was sentenced to four years and six months' jail, with a non-parole period of two years and six months. He will be eligible for release in December 2025.
As for Kirby, the court heard this crime was "the biggest rip of his life". He was sentenced to two years and seven months' jail, with a non-parole period of one year and four months. He will be eligible for release in August next year.
Bentley was handed one year and nine months' jail, while Fisher received two years, with both receiving non-parole periods of 12 months.
Read more Illawarra court and crime stories here.
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
