Joshua Elmsly jailed for over nine years for ringleader role in Oaklands Park abduction and robbery

A man was left traumatised after a kidnapper forced him to strip and threatened to cut off his genitals and “sell him” if he didn’t comply with demands.

A man who was lured to a house by his ex-lover was bound with cable ties before threats were made to cut off his genitals, a court heard.

Joshua Ross Ecclestone Elmsly, 27, was jailed for close to a decade for his ringleader role in the terrifying enterprise.

During sentencing, the District Court heard Elmsly’s girlfriend at the time, Sarah Jane Powell, 22, lured the victim – her former partner – to an Oaklands Park house in October 2020.

The court heard Elmsly, who was armed with a knife, tied the victim up with cable ties.

“You told him ‘I want to put a f***ing hole in you’,” Judge Joanne Tracey said.

Joshua Elmsly was jailed for close to a decade for his ringleader role in the violent Oaklands Park abduction. Photo: Facebook

The court heard Elmsly transferred himself money from the victim’s account.

“You told the complainant to show you his penis so you could cut off his genitals,” Judge Tracey said.

After Elmsly threatened to stab him, the victim removed his underwear and pleaded with Elmsly not to kill him.

“You started talking about inviting people over to take turns with him, and said you would sell him,” Judge Tracey said.

The victim told Elmsly there was $10,000 worth of gold in a safe at his mother’s house and called his mother to pick up the key.

However, the victim’s mother and stepfather called police who arrested the couple’s co-accused, Eli James Seymour Robinson, 37, when he went out to hand over the safe key.

The Oaklands Park house the victim was lured to, before he was violently assaulted. Photo: File

In his victim impact statement read to the court last year, the man said he feared he would become a victim of human trafficking.

“During the incident I felt that I was going to die or be sold into the sex trade,” he said.

“I felt humiliated and terrified, demoralised, dehumanised … I felt as if I were in a horror movie.”

Elmsly pleaded guilty to kidnapping, robbery and assault.

Robinson pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and was sentenced in June last year to 12 months jail, with a non-parole period of one month.

Due to his limited role – in which Robinson said he was bribed with drugs to participate – the sentence was suspended on a $500, two year good behaviour bond.

Sarah Powell avoided jail for her role in luring the victim to the house. Photo: Facebook

Eli Robinson was handed a suspended sentence for attempted robbery. Photo: Facebook

Powell pleaded guilty to kidnapping and robbery and was sentenced to three years and eight months jail, with a non-parole period of one year and eight months.

Due to her drug rehabilitation efforts and new baby, she was ordered to serve the sentence on home detention.

The court heard Elmsly was born in New Zealand and was at risk of deportation.

The court heard Elmsly, who was using multiple drugs prior to the offending, was remorseful for his “inexcusable” behaviour.

Judge Tracey sentenced Elmsly to nine years and five months jail, with a non-parole period of five years.

“It was a protracted ordeal over several hours and the complainant was humiliated and traumatised by the taunts and threats you made, and by the removal of his clothes,” she said.

The sentence was backdated to November 2, 2020.