Zaid Rahma gets bond for Fulham Gardens trespass in viral ‘Didgeridoo Man’ drama
A criminal who was famously chased down by a half-naked didgeridoo-wielding homeowner has received “bugger all” punishment, says the man who sensationally trapped him.
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A wannabe trespasser who tried to sneak on to a property only to be chased away by the half naked, didgeridoo wielding owner, has been given a good behaviour bond for his crime.
But the man who chased him and embraced the moniker “didgeridoo man”, described the sentence as “bugger all”.
Zaid Rahma, 34, was initially charged with serious criminal trespass in a place of residence and dishonestly taking property when he crept into Kym Abrook’s Fulham Gardens house in June 2019.
Mr Abrook was woken by the sound of creaking floorboards around 3.45am and grabbed the nearest item to hand: a didgeridoo.
In an act which earned him admiration and international headlines, Mr Abrook chased Rahma from the property and down the street clothed only in his underwear and wielding the didgeridoo as a weapon.
Not even the 7C temperature stopped Mr Abrook from taking the chase to the streets.
Less than 100m down the road Mr Abrook caught up with Rahma but lost him in the darkness.
Police arrived a short time later and with the aid of a police dog, tracked Rahma to where he was hiding in a driveway on Grange Rd.
Over the space of a year police downgraded the charges to trespass in a place of residence before, on the day a trial was scheduled to start, accepted a guilty plea to unlawfully on premises.
Magistrate Stefan Metanomski placed Rahma on a good behaviour bond for 12 months.
He also imposed fines of being more than $500.
Mr Abrook was not impressed by the severity of the sentence.
“It’s bugger all compared to the impact he left behind,” he said.
“Life is just a bit different now, my daughter doesn’t feel safe in the house by herself.”
Mr Abrook said he had a quiet conversation with Rahma after the sentencing to reinforce that he had embraced what happened and tried to make a difference.
“He didn’t apologise though, there was no admission of guilt,” he said.
“I told him that what he did had helped me in the long run to make a difference.”
Since the incident Mr Abrook has become a mental health advocate, spurred by the death of his partner by suicide in November last year.
He said it was his opportunity to take something “terrible and horrible” and make a difference.
Months after the incident Mr Abrook once again returned to South Australian screens, this time in an ad for a local food and veg shop.