Three men accused of taking another hostage were refused bail in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
A $200,000 unpaid debt for electrical work allegedly resulted in a baseball bat-wielding trio taking a man hostage and threatening harm to both him and his family.
The man allegedly owed the debt to 36-year-old electrical company director Dean Thomas Coyle, who has been arrested along with 31-year-old Brenton Joseph James Monteleone and 29-year-old Sadock Nibizi over the allegations.
It is alleged the trio agreed to meet the man at the Garran shops on Sunday (21 September) before threatening him verbally and with a baseball bat to recover a business debt, an ACT Policing spokesperson said.
The trio allegedly forcibly confined the man in a vehicle and travelled to his home in Garran, then later to Monash.
The ACT Magistrates Court heard Mr Coyle was accused of holding the baseball bat to the man’s chest and telling him, “You need to pay, otherwise there’s going to be consequences”.
“We know where your son works, we are going to front him tomorrow,” Mr Coyle later allegedly told the man.
Police found both the man and the trio in Monash, and the latter were arrested.
The trio, none of whom have prior criminal histories, faced the Magistrates Court on Monday (22 September) and applied for bail, which prosecutor Liam Taylor opposed.
Mr Taylor said the allegations essentially described a hostage situation. He said the trio allegedly demanded that the man transfer them money and made threats to both the man’s life and his children.
He said the man suffered from a disability, cared for his children and had significant concerns for his safety if any of the trio were granted bail.
Defence lawyer Michael Kukulies-Smith of Kamy Saeedi Law said the sole reason for contact between Mr Coyle and the alleged victim was a lawful debt relating to electrical work worth about $200,000.
He said his client, who was the director of one electrical company and the co-director of another, had projects underway worth several million dollars, and if he was not available, those contracts would not proceed, his businesses would fail, and his 10 employees would lose their jobs.
Mr Kukulies-Smith also said the alleged threats were directed at the alleged victim, not others.
Mr Monteleone’s lawyer, Alyssa Zanardo of Legal Aid, said her client worked as a mechanic in Mitchell and there was a risk his business would fail if he was remanded in custody and was unable to operate it.
Alana Clarke of Legal Aid said it appeared from the allegations that Mr Nibizi had “almost little to no alleged involvement”.
She said her client was a dietitian and personal trainer who provided for his family.
But when referring to Mr Coyle’s case, Magistrate James Lawton said the allegations described such brazen offending that he had no confidence conditions could ameliorate the risks of granting bail.
The magistrate refused bail for all three men, remanding them all in custody.
Mr Coyle was charged with making demands accompanied by threats to endanger health, while Mr Monteleone and Mr Nibizi were charged with making a demand with a threat to endanger health by the Joint Commission. No pleas were entered.
The matters will return to court on 13 October.
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