Tradie from hell Abdulilah Ghafoor tears off roof, stalks customer in violent rage

A tradie who tore off his customer’s roof while she cowered in her bedroom with her young daughter hopes to return to work upon his release from custody, a court has heard.

Fuelled by the belief a customer owed him payment, a Logan tradie arrived unannounced at the woman’s property and tore off her roof while she cowered in a bedroom with her daughter, a court has heard.

Owner of Roofhub Australia Abdulilah Ghafoor, 31, of Logan Central appeared in Beenleigh District Court via video-link from custody on Friday, July 15 where he pleaded guilty to three charges: unlawful stalking with violence, forceable entry, wilful damage.

All of the offending before the court was committed in the first half of last year, after a woman hired Ghafoor to repair her roof.

Concerned with the quality of his work, she raised the issues she perceived with him and refused to pay him any more money until he addressed them.

Crown prosecutor Ayesha Black told the court Ghafoor then attended the woman’s address unannounced, telling her “I know you are home” and that he needed payment immediately.

He called the police and put his phone on loudspeaker, telling them he had not been paid. They advised him to leave the premises.

The woman installed CCTV cameras at her property shortly thereafter.

Ms Black said Ghafoor then continued to stalk the woman from early February to early May last year, sending her text messages, calling her, and attending her address unannounced on numerous occasions demanding payment.

The woman asked Ghafoor to be contacted only by email in relation to the roof work she believed needed fixing.

In a series of phone messages, the court heard the 31-year-old told the woman she had a “stick up your a***” and was “being a little dog with your attitude”, also calling her a “f***ing bitch” and sending her a recording of the song ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’.

In a more than three-minute phone message he told her he would “come and rip your roof off” if she did not pay him.

Ms Black said Ghafoor attended the woman’s address – where she lived alone with her five-year-old daughter – unannounced once again in May.

He told her, “You didn’t pay me, the sheets are coming off” then grabbed a ladder, walked towards the house, and leaned it against the exterior of the house.

The woman called triple-zero and hid with her daughter in a bedroom, frightened. She heard a drill whirring and Ghafoor walking on her roof, then the sound of property being smashed in her front yard.

Police arrived at her house to find a large statue and pot plant had been broken and roof sheeting, a CCTV camera, and lights had been removed. Ghafoor had also turned off water to the woman’s house.

The Logan man was intercepted by police about 9.40am and admitted to being at his customer’s house, taking sheets off the roof, and throwing a CCTV camera onto her neighbour’s property.

Defence barrister Mr Taylor told the court his client offered his sincerest apologies to his victim and said he was disappointed in himself.

He said Ghafoor was born in Iraq but moved to Australia with his family as a refugee when he was eight. He has six siblings and a history of schizophrenia and paranoia.

The court heard he had prospects for employment upon his release and did hope to eventually return to roofing.

He had spent more than one year and two months in presentence custody by Friday.

Judge Deborah Holliday QC said the woman had expressed hiring Ghafoor was the “worst decision she made in her life”, as it led to months of stalking that became increasingly “harassing and abusive” over time.

She said to say the offending would have had a “profound” impact on his victim emotionally, physically, and financially would be an understatement.

The court heard Ghafoor’s criminal history spanned 10 pages.

Ms Holliday sentenced the Logan man to 2.5 years’ imprisonment for the unlawful stalking with immediate parole release, but noted he will remain in custody in relation to some other charges.

Convictions were recorded.