Two brothers have confessed to terrorising a rideshare driver at a suburban McDonald’s over a request for a tip.
Simon and Andrew George appeared within the County Court on Friday the place they every pleaded responsible to a number of prices together with theft, drug possession, damaging property and possessing weapons and firearms.
The court docket was advised Simon ordered a DiDi driver final September to take him to a Murrumbeena deal with to accumulate a bundle.
Earlier that morning Simon had used the identical driver to ship a bundle to a girl. The lady claimed the driver requested for a tip, police mentioned.
Simon made and cancelled dozens extra supply bookings earlier than he obtained one which was allotted to the identical driver.
When the DiDi driver arrived Simon and Andrew climbed into the person’s automobile and refused to get out, the court docket was advised.
The scared driver took the brothers to a McDonald’s the place he obtained out and hid inside, however the brothers adopted him in.
County Court Judge Michael Bourke described the crime as “brutal”.
“This was a very nasty event,” he mentioned.
Judge Bourke advised the court docket the actual fact the boys ordered and cancelled various DiDi’s earlier than getting the suitable driver was proof the incident had some premeditation.
CCTV of the second the brothers bailed up the driver within the hall to a toilet at McDonalds was aired in court docket.
It confirmed the 2 males cornering their sufferer earlier than threatening him with a weapon and stealing his cellphone and money.
“That’s a prolonged event for an armed robbery … usually the attacker takes and leaves,” Judge Bourke mentioned of the footage.
“This is very bad behaviour and the man (driver) would have been frightened indeed.”
The driver issued a harrowing sufferer influence assertion to the court docket wherein he defined how he now lived in concern.
“I am a constant prisoner of my thoughts,” he mentioned.
“I worry someone will follow me again.”
The matter will return to court docket at a later date.