Yadi Zheng: Maroubra man left Burwood dad pleading “I’m going to die”

A Sydney father was left lying in the street with broken ribs and a torn liver after a group of men bashed him in front of his helpless family.

A suburban Sydney dad was bashed outside his home by a group of men so viciously he was left pleading “help I’m going to die” to his young family as they helplessly watched on.

The full and brutal details of what happened to the 49-year-old man on Luke St, Burwood in January can be revealed for the first time after the horror of the attack was outlined in court documents this week.

Chinese national Yadi Zheng, 27, has pleaded guilty to arranging the meeting between his housemate and the victim over WeChat that eventually left the father with four fractured ribs, a torn liver and a broken nose.

Documents tendered to court show that Zheng arranged for his housemate to contact the victim on his behalf and offer to exchange $2000 for Chinese Renminbi.

The man agreed to the transaction after Zheng’s housemate arranged the meeting.

When they met at 10pm that night, the man walked up to Zheng’s girlfriend and housemate inside a Volkswagen Golf when “seven or eight Asian men” appeared out of nowhere, court documents state.

One of the men pointed a pistol at the victim’s head before asking him “do you know Xiaohui Xue?”.

When he responded “yes” the group punched and kicked him all over his body, attacking him while he was on the ground as he screamed “help help”.

The bashing only stopped when one of the men said “we got it wrong, we got it wrong” while another said “a woman is calling the police” as the man lost consciousness.

The group made off with the man’s $2000 he wanted to exchange for Chinese Renmimbi

The group sped off in five different cars as the victim pleaded in Mandarin to his young family watching on from inside their home: “help I’m going to die”.

According to the fact sheet in the case, Zheng hopped into his housemate’s car before it was pulled over minutes later by police who spotted the victim’s blood on his right arm and shoes.

When the officer searched their car they located the $2000 the victim wanted to exchange and his phone in the back seat.

Zheng said he had it because “I want to give the phone back … someone beat him. I kept it. I give it back to him”.

He told police after his arrest that he did not hit the man or know the group of men who bashed him.

Zheng appeared briefly in Burwood Local Court on Wednesday with his lawyer Javid Faiz from John Marony Correctional Centre where he is being held after being refused bail.

He will return to court next week where he will be sentenced after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company.

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