Chris Tziomakis, Frappe Cafe: Former inner west cafe owner sentenced for brawl involving machete, baseball bat

The former owner of a pair of popular inner west cafes has been sentenced for charges related to a brawl which involved a machete and baseball bat.

The former owner of a pair of popular inner west cafes has been sentenced – almost two years after the incident – for charges related to a brawl which involved a machete and a baseball bat, where he was beaten with his own weapon.

After being punched in the face by a woman he knew after an argument at a car dealership in Kogarah, Chris Tziomakis, 35, of Bardwell Park, returned to the scene armed with a bat alongside another man allegedly armed with a machete.

Tziomakis suffered a broken nose from the initial punch and Downing Centre Local Court heard on Friday he decided to “take the law into his own hands”.

The pair allegedly confronted the woman, but were soon outnumbered two-to-four when the woman’s partner and two male employees arrived.

A tussle ensued and Tziomakis lost the baseball bat, before getting beaten with it as he lay on the ground.

Chris Tziomakis (right) pictured leaving Downing Centre Courts today with his lawyer Ahmed Dib (left). Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

The incident took place in mid-2020 and Tziomakis previously owned the beloved pair of Frappe cafes in Concord and Earlwood, but now works in car sales.

He pleaded guilty to arming himself with intent to harm after he vacated a hearing earlier this year. However, the man who was allegedly armed with a machete is still before the courts and has maintained a plea of not guilty. A previous charge of affray for Tziomakis was withdrawn.

Chris Tziomakis previously owned a pair of popular inner west cafes.

The magistrate sentenced Tziomakis to a two-year community corrections order and told him to abide by the law, not take it into his own hands.

“What you did was wrong and simply not tolerated,” she said.

“You can’t just take the law into your own hands. It’s fortunate nothing more serious happened here.”

Tziomakis was represented by lawyer Ahmed Dib, who argued the offence wasn’t worthy of a prison sentence. Mr Dib said his client was remorseful and had taken steps to engage with professionals to help mental health and anger issues, which had played a part in the offending.

The magistrate took into account the fact Tziomakis had spent seven weeks in custody after his arrest before six months on “stringent bail conditions”, which included living on a rural farmhouse in regional NSW.

“There’s no question with a worse criminal history, this would result in full time custody,” she said. “But you had incredibly stringent bail conditions and taken steps to get help in the community.”