Fredericks Taufua: Jail sentence for Pierre Kassouf kidnapping at St Marys

A payday of $4 million was the motivation behind the brutal kidnapping of a western Sydney small business owner, who was viciously attacked and subjected to hours of horror inside a shed.

A payday of $4 million was the motivation behind the brutal kidnapping of a western Sydney small business owner, who was viciously attacked and subjected to hours of horror at the hands of Fredericks Sone Taufua and his accomplices.

The Plumpton man, alongside another male, paid a visit to St Marys Automotive Smash Repairs operated by Pierre Kassouf about 12.30pm on November 25, 2019.

The court heard the men were acting on the instructions of a third man, Ali Abdulrahman, who believed he was owed money by Mr Kassouf. Abdulrahman is now awaiting sentence for his involvement.

Fredericks Sone Taufua.

In the space of 100 seconds the small business owner was violently attacked and knocked unconscious in his own workplace, and was carried into the back of the car with blood dripping across the floor and driven away.

The court heard Taufua struck the victim to the head with a silver revolver during the kidnapping.

As Mr Kassouf called for help a neighbour began running to the scene where he witnessed Mr Kassouf being “bashed”, but swiftly retreated into his own shop and locked the door after he saw a gun.

Pierre Kassouf.

The court heard Mr Kassouf was driven to a semirural property at Shanes Park where he was taken inside a shed and had his hands tied and a hessian bag placed over his head, before being subjected to further attacks and threatened to cough up $4 million.

The agreed facts state when the victim was asked for such a sum of money he laughed, a response which led Judge Dina Yehia to infer the request was “fanciful”.

Mr Kassouf was found the next day by three real estate agents who attended the property. He was taken to hospital where he was treated for a shattered skull.

Taufua, who has two children, previously gave evidence to the court that he expected to receive a financial reward for his thuggery but there was no evidence of the size of the payment, or if any reward was received.

He had been sentenced for a separate kidnapping incident about eight years ago and had previous criminal convictions for assault and contravening apprehended violence orders, the court heard.

Taufua was convicted of specially aggravated take and detain for advantage and unauthorised possession of a firearm and was sentenced to seven years and nine months jail, with a non parole period of four years and nine months.

He will be first eligible for release on parole in November 2024.