Six men jailed after Harley Davidsons stolen, owner assaulted with guitar
SIX men have been jailed for stealing two Harley Davidson motorbikes and assaulting the owner with a knife, fists, a bottle and a guitar.
SIX men have been jailed for stealing two Harley Davidson motorbikes and assaulting the owner with a knife, fists, a bottle and a guitar.
Travis Scott Adams, Steig Borholm, Taliesan James Kloeden, Mark Paul Matthews and Steven Nestorov were found guilty by District Court Judge Steven Millsteed of aggravated robbery committed in August 2012 at Richmond.
A sixth man, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty and gave evidence for the prosecution.
In sentencing Judge Millsteed said at the time of the offence, Borholm, 27, and Nestorov, 42, were members of the Adelaide Bandidos and Matthews, 22, was treated as a de facto member.
He said the six men drove to the victim’s house to steal the two motorbikes, together worth around $50,000.
He said as part of the robbery, the victim was subjected to a “vicious and frightening” attack.
He said Matthews punched the victim in the face and slashed his right knee with a knife, Borholm threatened him with a pistol close to his head and three of the others punched him in the head.
Judge Millsteed said the victim was also bound and gagged with duct tape and had a bottle and a guitar smashed over his head.
He said Matthews “seemed to relish the violence” he inflicted.
He said during the attack, three of the men left and hired a trailer from a nearby service station.
Judge Millsteed said the men then loaded the motorbikes into the trailer, and went to one of the men’s home where they “partied for several hours”.
He said the motorbikes were returned to the victim, in a slightly damaged condition, shortly before the trial was due to start in 2013.
Matthews received the longest sentence of five years, six months and three weeks’ imprisonment.
The other men were sentenced to between three years and five years.