Unanderra: Andrew Nicholls, Josh White, Anthony Rutherford charged after woman allegedly detained
Two men charged with luring a woman they both had intimate affairs with to an Unanderra workshop before allegedly tying her up and threatening to kill her have been granted bail, as has a third man who allegedly helped the ex-lovers.
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Two men charged with luring a woman they both had intimate affairs with to a Unanderra workshop before allegedly tying her up and threatening to kill her have been granted bail.
Joshua White, 25 and Andrew Nicholls, 35, faced Wollongong Local Court via audiovisual link on Monday, following a terrifying alleged attack on a 28-year-old woman they were involved in a messy love triangle with.
In documents tendered to the court, police allege around 10pm on Friday evening, Nicholls called the woman, whom he’d allegedly had a past affair with, and asked her to meet him at a Unanderra workshop.
As she approached the rollerdoor it began to open, allegedly revealing Nicholls, White and 33-year-old Andrew Rutherford drinking inside.
Rutherford also fronted Wollongong Court on Monday. All three men have been charged with take and detain in company for advantage.
In court documents, police allege the woman claimed to have fallen pregnant to Nicholls in September last year, but they decided to terminate the pregnancy.
Police claim the women told them she was aware Nicholls was married and considered his wife to be a friend.
During her affair with him, it’s alleged she met White, whom she also began a brief intimate affair with.
When the rollerdoor opened on Friday night, White allegedly said “loose lips sink ships”, a phrase that confused the woman, according to court documents.
When she asked what White meant, he allegedly said he knew she’d discussed the affair to a close friend of hers.
The woman denied it, however, police allege he began yelling at her, approaching her with his arms raised.
Police allege Nicholls intervened, walking close to the woman’s face and yelling “get the rope”.
Nicholls allegedly pushed the woman toward a wooden chair, putting his arm around her neck and holding her in a headlock, while White ran to his truck to grab a rope.
While Nicholls allegedly held her in the chair, White began tying her wrists together while Rutherford did the same to her ankle, court documents state.
The woman told police she started screaming and crying, fearing the three men were going to kill her.
At one point, the woman tried to stand up from her chair to leave when police allege Nicholls grabbed her by the throat and forced her back into the chair, causing her to hit the back of her head on a nearby desk.
It’s alleged Rutherford was holding a knife, however she got up and again tried to walk out the workshop door. As she did so, Nicholls allegedly threatened her saying “You’re lucky you’re leaving, next time you won’t be and neither will (your dad).”
The woman walked up the street and called an Uber before immediately messaging a friend, who works as a criminal lawyer.
She reported the matter to police the next day.
In court on Monday, it was revealed CCTV had captured both video and audio of the alleged incident. According to the documents, police allege a male voice can be heard on the audio saying “I’ll f***ing kill you. I’ll make you disappear”.
In an interview with police following his arrest, Nicholls denied ever being in a sexual relationship with the woman.
Police allege he admitted to inviting her to the workshop, however denied he ordered she be tied up, or that White followed through with the act.
The court also heard following his arrest on Saturday afternoon, White denied she was tied up or detained in any way.
The pair faced court on Monday along with Rutherford, each charged with take and detain in company for advantage.
Their defence lawyer, Stuart Holt, told the court each of the men stood by their denials in the court documents, noting both White and Nicholls were hardworking men with full time jobs and mortgages to pay.
He argued for their release to bail, noting that if granted thay would agree not to contact each other or the woman.
Magistrate Roger Clisdell granted each of them bail despite opposition from prosecutor Sergeant Richard Novatin, imposing a raft of strict conditions, including curfews and daily reporting to police.
“This is one of the most serious examples (of the charge),” Magistrate Clisdell said during Nicholls’s bail hearing.
“(However) the risk of anything of this nature reasserting itself is pretty low given the stern consequence of loss of liberty … and if that doesn’t wake him up, I don’t know what will.”
Both White and Nicholls were supported by their partners, who sobbed during the proceedings. If found guilty of the charges, each of the men could face a maximum of 20 years jail.
Each of the men will return to court in August.