Steven Lonesborough refused bail after allegedly holding Grindr date hostage
A man was allegedly held hostage for several hours by a lover he met on Grindr and left with a swollen lip and bite marks to his arms.
Illawarra Star
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A man was allegedly forced to flee a moving car near a busy highway, after a lover he met on Grindr became “erratic” and paranoid” following a late night rendezvous, a court has heard.
Steven Matthew Lonesborough, who is defending a single charge of detain person with intent to gain advantage or cause actual bodily harm, was refused bail by Magistrate Chris McRobert on Friday.
It will be alleged the 34-year-old held his lover hostage in a car for four hours, biting, punching and threatening to kill him.
According police allegations in documents tendered to the court, Lonesborough first met the man through Grindr, and kept up a sexual relationship following their initial meeting, often chatting via the Grindr app or text message.
Late on the evening of October 10, Lonesborough allegedly contacted the alleged victim for sex, offering to pick him up from Wollongong and drive him to his Nowra townhouse.
After the late night rendezvous, the alleged victim said Lonesborough became “paranoid” about him being in a conspiracy with his ex-wife and family.
The man tried to keep Lonesborough calm, but asked to leave around 1.30am on October 12, after becoming uncomfortable with his erratic behaviour, police will allege.
Lonesborough offered to drive the man home, which he agreed to as he wasn’t familiar with the area.
While making the hour-long drive back to Wollongong, police allege in court documents the Lonesborough’s behaviour escalated, with police alleging he was convinced the GPS was a “listening device”.
The man became increasingly scared after Lonesborough allegedly said he was going to “kill” him and threatened to crash the car.
Police will allege the man asked Lonesborough to stop the car and let him out several times, but he refused, keeping him locked in the car for more than four hours.
While he was allegedly locked in the car, the man tried to unbuckle his seatbelt, which allegedly prompted Lonesborough to hold it tightly against the man’s chest, causing pain and red marks to his neck. At some point during the man’s detention, police will allege Lonesborough bit him on the left hand and punched him in the lip, leaving him bloody and swollen.
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At 7am, the car approached a roundabout near the highway off-ramp at Yallah. Court documents say the alleged victim took advantage of the slow speed, hitting Lonesborough with his backpack and escaping the vehicle.
The man, who was shirtless, allegedly ran to a nearby home, where the residents assisted him and called police.
Detectives later found Lonesborough’s vehicle abandoned at a service station near the off-ramp, with his lover’s backpack and mobile phone allegedly found inside the vehicle.
Police were called back to the servo a short time later, where they found an intoxicated Lonesborough, who was “frothing at the mouth” and screaming “the Lord will provide the truth”, the court heard.
Police allege in court documents that Lonesborough denied he detained and assaulted the man, telling them he was defending himself.
During his application for bail at Wollongong Local Court on Friday, Lonesborough’s defence lawyer said his client would defend the charge against him.
“He says he was actually punched in the mouth and lost a tooth as a result,” he said.
Lonesborough’s lawyer also noted his client suffered from mental health issues that could not adequately be dealt with or managed while in custody.
Despite this, Magistrate McRobert refused the application for bail, noting it was a strong prosecution case.
The matter will return to court later this year.