Luc Bonnell: former Cranbrook student jailed for a second time

A former rugby player at one of Sydney’s most exclusive schools has been jailed after cops made a shocking discovery on searching him at a train station.

A former private school boy once jailed for assaulting and robbing multiple teens in a series of sickening attacks is behind bars again after police found him with a baton down his pants.

Luc Bonnell is just 19 – but he has spent almost his entire adult life behind bars due to a string of violent offences and drug abuse.

The Willoughby teen was only released on parole in November 2020 after spending a year behind bars for bashing and robbing four school boys at Lane Cove and St Leonards in November 2019.

Only months later and Bonnell will spend another 14 days in jail after police found him with 0.4g of ice and an extendible baton in his pants at Wolli Creek station on March 12.

“When police lifted the accused’s shirt they saw an object protruding from the front of the waistline of his pants, which was an extendible baton,” agreed police facts state.

“The accused said ‘I found it and thought it was cool’.”

Bonnell pleaded guilty to possessing prohibited drugs and a prohibited weapon at Sutherland Local Court and Magistrate Joy Boulos sentenced him to two weeks in jail.

“(There were) serious strictly indictable matters where you received prison and you’ve continued offending and then you’re found with a baton,” Ms Boulos said.

“I can infer it was for an ominous purpose, particularly since you’ve continued reoffending.”

Bonnell will be released from custody on March 26.

A generic image of an extendible baton.

His time in prison has been a stark fall from grace for the former Cranbrook School rugby player.

The District Court last year sentenced him to a maximum of four years and three months imprisonment for the crime spree on Sydney’s north shore.

Bonnell assaulted four teenage boys in a two-day spree last November.

At court in June Bonnell described his actions as “really childish and inappropriate behaviour”, adding that his time in prison since November had been “sobering” and that he never wanted to return to a life of drugs or crime.

For those incidents Bonnell pleaded guilty to assault with intent to rob, robbery in company and being armed with intent.

Bonnell will face Hornsby Local Court via AVL from prison on March 24 on additional charges of prohibited drug possession, property destruction and possessing graffiti implements.