The victim of the prolonged kidnapping is also disappointed with his attacker’s six-month home detention sentence.
Aggravated robbery and kidnapping charges both carry maximum sentences of 14 years in prison.
Ihaia Morgan, 22, was sentenced in the district court on October 2, for the attack in December.
His alleged co-offender and brother, Mikaira Douglas Morgan, is on the run after being arrested and charged for the incident, but then released on electronically monitored bail, which he breached in May.
A warrant for this arrest was issued by police in June. He is yet to be located.
Detective Sergeant Daniel Isherwood said sentences like this “certainly make police’s job harder. “In this case, we have a victim who was held against his will for a prolonged period of time, during which he was assaulted, had his hands bound and was forced to withdraw money. Police work hard to support victims in bringing these sorts of cases to court, often in the face of gang intimidation.”
“It certainly makes our job a little harder, convincing victims to work with us,” he said.
In February, The Star reported the 45-year-old male victim was beaten and robbed of his car, cellphone and wallet after he picked up two 17-year-olds from a Woolston address. He had met one of them online.
The tactic known as ‘honey-trapping’ often sees gangs and their associates using women and the internet to lure in unsuspecting men, who are then kidnapped, beaten and robbed.
After driving for a short time, the teenagers asked him to pull over so they could have a cigarette.
Then two men associated with the Tribesmen gang allegedly pulled up behind them in a vehicle and assaulted the victim, before getting in the car and locking him inside using the ‘kiddie-lock.’
One of the men, Ihaia, punched the victim in the eye socket, stole his wallet and phone, then forced him to sit on his hands and told him: “If you try and run, we’ll stab you.”
The victim was then driven to various locations around the city before eventually being driven to his home, where Ihaia bound his wrists with duct tape.
A Holden vehicle was then stolen from the property.
The victim was then driven back to the original location where he was assaulted before being allowed to return home in one of the vehicles.
He was told he owed the men $5000.
Sensible Sentencing Trust spokeswoman Jess McVicar said the sentence will now result in the victim living in fear.
“This is an issue for victims. They feel as if there was no point in coming forward, and now many are not. The judges and justice system are not in any way taking the victim into account,” she said.
“Can we honestly believe this is acceptable to do this to the victims who manage to have the courage to speak up?
“Our system is meant to protect victims and the community. It, unfortunately, is doing the complete opposite.”
