Luke Murray, Carl Lawrence learn fate after dumping man at Appin

Two goons who forced a man - who simply wanted to buy a smartwatch off Facebook Marketplace - to drive them to the outskirts of Sydney before dumping him and stealing his possessions have learnt their fate.

Carl Lawrence (left) and Luke Donald Murray have been sentenced for kidnapping a man in late 2021. Pictures: NSW Police

Two Illawarra thugs who “randomly and opportunistically” kidnapped and dumped a weary traveller in the middle of the night have been jailed.

Luke Donald Murray, 41, and Carl Lawrence, 29, appeared in Wollongong District Court via video link on Wednesday to be sentenced after previously pleading guilty to taking and detaining a person in company to obtain advantage and being carried in a conveyance taken without the owner’s consent.

Murray also had an additional charge, which he pleaded guilty to, of knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Documents tendered in court state the victim, a man in his 30s from the Riverina region, flew into Sydney on December 20 last year, ahead of a flight overseas the following day.

The victim spotted a smartwatch for sale on Facebook Marketplace and arranged to do the deal in the carpark of Fairy Meadow McDonald’s.

The documents state the man drove a hired Hyundai Tucson from Sydney to the Illawarra region, but once at Fairy Meadow McDonald’s the seller told him to follow him back to his place because he didn’t have the smartwatch on him.

The victim reluctantly followed the seller back to an address on Johansen Cres, Mangerton, where he was instructed to wait outside when he was approached by Murray and Lawrence.

The sentences were handed down in Wollongong District Court on Wednesday.

The two criminals asked for a lift with court documents stating the scared victim received a message from the seller to “go around the back of the building and wait for me, those two guys are no good, they rob people”.

The still smartwatch-less victim decided to leave when Murray and Lawrence demanded a lift, with the former telling him “you are going to take us” while gesturing to his hand in the pocket of his hoodie.

The documents state after a few minutes Murray told the victim “We are going to rob you” and instructed him to drive.

At some point, the victim noticed a police car and tried to get pulled over by driving recklessly, however, this led to the two offenders yelling and making him pullover so Murray could take control of the wheel.

The victim tried talking, but Lawrence warned “Shut up or I’ll stab you and f**k you face up”.

Murray stopped the car on the outskirts of Appin and told the victim “this is going to happen” before stealing multiple credit cards, two laptops, his phone and $600 cash.

The victim was dumped on the outskirts of Appin.

The documents state they took a photo of the victim’s ID and threatened if he went to police they would “track him down and f**k him up”.

Murray and Lawrence abandoned the victim and the “dark unknown place”, but he managed to walk to a hotel where police were contacted.

The stolen Hyundai was captured on CCTV at 12.46am on December 21 in the Corrimal Hotel car park where Murray withdrew $890 from an ATM 15 minutes later.

The car was later recovered in Mangerton with police matching the fingerprints of Murray and Lawrence who were arrested on Christmas Eve.

In court on Wednesday, Judge Andrew Haesler read the victim impact statement which said the man was a “very happy and positive person”, but now he was “sad to say since the encounter ... I seem to distrust people”.

The victim felt so “uncomfortable in his own house” given they had his address he had organised moving to Queensland.

Judge Haesler told the court the victim was “effectively helpless” and outlined Murray and Lawrence’s criminal history and the fact both were on parole at the time of the offence.

“Murray took a more aggressive role and appeared to be the leader, but Lawrence was still prepared to be involved and acted independently,” Judge Haesler said as he sentenced Murray to four years and six months jail and Lawrence to four years and three months.

“They knew they were going to get caught. The threat of a future in jail didn’t even occur to them because they’ve spent their life going in and out of jail.

“Murray is getting to be an old man and could spend the rest of his life in custody. That could be Lawrence too.”

Both men have a non-parole period of two years and eight months meaning with time already served Murray could be eligible for parole in January, 2025 and Lawrence in October, 2024.