Alleged Croydon Curry Lover thief faces court after surgery for brain injury

He allegedly entered a curry shop demanding money and used a baseball bat as a threat. Months later, after a citizen’s arrest and brain surgery, he can’t remember his kids’ names.

Details about a brain injury sustained by a man who was ensnared in a citizen’s arrest after an alleged attempted holdup have emerged, including his inability to remember his children’s names, as he physically faced court for the first time.

Just how alleged Croydon Curry Lover thief Solomon Tefera Woreta sustained that injury remains a mystery, but his partner has opened up about its impact.

Woreta physically faced court for the first time on Wednesday where, outside of court, his partner said he now suffered from a condition called aphasia and could not remember his own children's names.

Police will allege Woreta, of Parafield Gardens, made his way into the Curry Lover restaurant on Days Rd at Croydon in late October and demanded money while brandishing a baseball bat.

The Adelaide Magistrates Court in November heard Woreta, 37, allegedly snatched $80 from the restaurant’s till.

Solomon Woreta was taken to hospital and put in an induced coma after allegedly holding up an Indian restaurant. Picture: Facebook

He was subsequently charged with aggravated attempted robbery.

No plea has been entered.

At the time of the arrest it was revealed the store’s owners and some of their friends had executed a citizen’s arrest as Woreta attempted to flee after allegedly taking the cash.

A police statement issued in the wake of Woreta’s arrest confirmed he had suffered “life-threatening” injuries around the time of the alleged robbery.

He was rushed to hospital following his arrest by police and placed in an induced coma with a fractured skull.

Shortly after he underwent brain surgery to remove a piece of his skull.

SA Police’s Major Crime Unit was engaged in the case, and Detective Inspector Brett Featherby said their involvement always followed a person potentially receiving “life threatening injuries”.

Police outside of the restaurant in October. Picture Agnes Gichuhi

Outside of court Woreta cut into some layers of mystery surrounding how he sustained his injuries and said they were not inflicted by police.

In late November, after an earlier failure to have bail granted on compassionate grounds, Woreta was released on bail after review in the Supreme Court.

The court heard Woreta was currently in the brain injury unit at the Repatriation General Hospital with a “very severe” skull fracture.

The previous application had been denied as police prosecutors detailed Woreta’s lengthy criminal history and the revelation he had only just gotten off parole for an identical charge at the time of the alleged theft.

Adam Richards, for Woreta, on Wednesday told Magistrate Simon Smart he was seeking an adjournment of the case to review a revised police brief of the allegations.

Woreta will next face court in March.