Port Kembla man allegedly choked woman after $27k cigarette heist

Kolby Langlo sought his release at Wollongong Local Court on Monday, May 27 after he was arrested and charged over the weekend.

Police will allege Langlo, 28, was wearing a face mask and hoodie when CCTV cameras captured him busting through A to Z Tobacconist in Cringila with a crow bar in the early hours of Sunday, May 6.

It's alleged co-accused Danny Camara was wearing a balaclava and attempted to smash the CCTV cameras, however was unsuccessful and instead pointed one upwards.

The pair allegedly opened a cabinet and grabbed as many cigarette packets from the shelves as possible, dumping them into a bag.

Langlo allegedly ran out of the store with the bag full of an estimated $27,000 worth in cigarettes, while Camara allegedly nicked a can of drink on his way out.

The owner of the tobacconist received a notification on his phone about 3am and opened an app which showed two people were in the the stop.

He called police immediately but when they arrived, no one was there. The shop was forensically examined, with Camara's fingerprints allegedly lifted from a CCTV camera.

Two days later, Langlo was allegedly at Camara's home with his on-off girlfriend when he left the address in her vehicle.

Police will allege the woman called Langlo and asked him to bring her car back. He returned and allegedly punched the woman in the face.

Court documents state she went into her car and noticed $500 in cash was missing from the console, before she called Langlo a dog.

He allegedly reacted by picking her up by the neck using both hands, lifting her off the ground and strangling her to the point she couldn't breathe.

Langlo allegedly dropped the woman to the ground where she lay crying and gasping for breath.

Police claim she got to her feet and asked where the money was, to which Langlo allegedly replied, "Go ask Danny" before he punched her in the face four to five times.

The woman was left with a lump on her head, court papers state. She contacted police, but officers were unable to locate her or Langlo upon arrival.

They later found the woman in her car and she provided a recorded statement.

Police arrived at the Cringila address on May 24 and allege they saw Langlo in the backyard attempting to jump over the fence.

In court, Langlo pleaded not guilty to intentionally choking a person without consent and common assault, and is yet to enter a plea to aggravated break and enter and commit a serious indictable offence.

Defence lawyer Paul Paine said the alleged victim, who was seated in the courtroom, didn't want Langlo to be charged and that it was "an argument that was blown out of proportion".

The lawyer argued the evidence against Langlo in relation to the break-in allegations was weak.

However, the police prosecutor opposed bail and pointed to the severity of the domestic violence matter.

Magistrate Michael Ong was not satisfied bail conditions could mitigate risks of re-offending and refused Langlo's release. The matter was adjourned to next week.