Alleged Hindley St kidnapper Damien Keith Hall offered plea bargain that would avoid 20-year maximum prison term
EXCLUSIVE: The man charged over last year’s Hindley St kidnapping and police shootout has been offered a deal that would allow him to dodge a maximum 20-year sentence for his alleged crimes.
- Revealed: Hindley St ‘kidnapper’ is Damien Keith Hall
- Gunshot that ended a night of chaos
- Witness’ shock: ‘I’m surprised no one was killed’
- Neighbour: ‘We all just feared the worst’
- Officer praised for calm courage in city shooting
THE man charged over last year’s Hindley St kidnapping and police shootout has been offered a plea bargain that would allow him to dodge a maximum 20-year sentence for his alleged crimes.
The Advertiser can reveal prosecutors have filed a fresh set of downgraded charges against Damien Keith Hall, who has been in custody since the incident in November.
Originally, Hall was accused of threatening his former partner’s life, then kidnapping her and their children before leading police on a 90-minute high-speed chase that ended in the CBD.
He faced a potential maximum sentence of 20 years for the kidnapping and his counsel had, at one stage, indicated guilty pleas were likely.
On Friday, however, prosecutors charged Hall with the alternate offence of false imprisonment, which has no prescribed maximum under state law.
It is what is known as a “common law” offence — meaning he would serve as much or as little jail time as a judge deemed appropriate.
Hall, 26, is accused of abducting his pregnant former partner from her Cumberland Park home, at gunpoint, in November last year.
He allegedly forced their children, aged three and seven months, into the car as well before sparking a police chase that continued despite the use of a helicopter and road spikes.
Hall allegedly drove through Rundle Mall and down Hindley St, then threatened police with a gun before STAR Group officers fired a single shot, ending the incident.
It was subsequently revealed that, in the months prior to the incident, Hall had written about his relationship breakdown on social media while insisting he was a good father.
On Monday, prosecutors told Magistrate Greg Fisher that negotiations in the case “were still ongoing” and that “new information has been filed”.
That paperwork replaces the kidnapping with false imprisonment, and also downgrades one count of threatening life to threatening harm — a further potential sentence reduction of seven years.
He remains accused of endangering the lives of his children and police, driving dangerously to escape a police pursuit and threatening the life of another person.
Prosecutors asked the case be adjourned for two weeks so that Hall’s counsel could receive and consider the new charges.
Mr Fisher agreed, but told Hall — who appeared by video link — that he would be required to enter pleas to the charges on his next court appearance.
He remanded Hall in custody until next month.