Trio confess to roles in brutal kidnapping south of Wollongong

The victim was tied up, had two knives held to his throat and threatened with toe amputation in the horrifying ordeal.

Three Illawarra men are facing up to 25 years behind bars after confessing to their involvement in a brutal home invasion in which a man was tied to a chair, bashed and threatened with having his toes cut off with a shovel.

Jake Nikolas Hall, 26, Drazsic Wheatley, 20, and Brendan Parsons, 24, each pleaded guilty in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday to a charge of specially aggravated detaining in company with intent to obtain an advantage.

A set of agreed facts tendered to the court reveal the trio forced their way into the unit at Tullimbar, south of Wollongong, on the afternoon of November 8 last year and set upon the unsuspecting victim.

The court heard one of the men punched the victim in the head, causing him to fall forward at his desk.

When he turned to see his attackers, he saw Wheatley was wearing a flannelette shirt and had a stubbie of VB in his hand, but otherwise did not recognise the trio.

Drazsic Wheatley, pictured outside Wollongong courthouse. Picture: Dylan Arvela.

Parsons grabbed the victim by his shirt collar, threw him on the ground and demanded to know the whereabouts of the victim’s brother.

The victim said he had “no f — king clue”, however the trio accused him of lying and threatened to make his life “hell” if he didn’t reveal his brother’s whereabouts.

The court heard Hall grabbed the victim by the feet and dragged him along the floor before Wheatley and Parsons punched and kicked him.

The victim was then tied two a chair using the shoelaces from his sneakers and Parsons held a pair of fishing scissors to the man’s throat, telling him to “stop bullshitting” them.

The three attackers then walked into the bathroom where they loudly discussed what they were going to do with their captive.

One of men said “we’ll cut his toes off with a shovel”, the court heard.

Wheatley pleaded guilty to a charge of special aggravated take/detain in company with intent to obtain an advantage, over a violent home-invasion-style incident at a house in 2021. Picture: Dylan Arvela.

When they returned to the room, Wheatley held another pair of scissors to the victim’s throat and threatened him again.

The trio eventually grabbed the victim by the arms and legs and bundled him into a laundry cupboard, still bound.

They then trashed the room before making off with electronic items from the house.

The victim managed to free himself and called his mum, then emergency services.

Police took photos of his injuries which included a cut above his right eye and red marks on his wrists and the side of his neck.

Wheatley, Hall and Parsons were arrested at their respective homes about a week later.

Parsons and Hall remain in custody on remand, however Wheatley is currently on strict conditional bail.

The trio will face Wollongong District Court next month where a date will be set for their sentencing.