Richard Isaiah Stanley: Member of Eli Dangerfield kidnap plot locked up

A court has heard how a group attempted to kidnap an e-commerce influencer before assaulting and taking his friend instead, “shattering” the two men. Read what has happened to one of the men charged.

A court has heard how Gold Coast influencer Eli Dangerfield and his friend were physically and mentally impacted after a kidnapping plot and assault.

A former rugby player has been locked up for his involvement in an alleged kidnapping plot that a court was told left Gold Coast-based influencer Eli Dangerfield and his friend suffering long lasting impacts.

Richard Isaiah Stanley, 22, pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping, kidnapping, deprivation of liberty – unlawfully detain/confine, extortion, demand with intent to gain benefit with threat of detriment, and two courts of assaults occasioning bodily harm whilst in company when he appeared in the Southport District Court on Thursday.

The court heard Abdullah Al-Kobeissy allegedly orchestrated the offence, which was carried out by others.

Al-Kobeissy and Mr Dangerfield were known to each other as Mr Dangerfield had commenced civil proceedings against Al-Kobeissy.

Abdullah Al-Kobeissy. Picture: Instagram

Stanley and a group of men allegedly arrived in a Nissan car at the carpark where Mr Dangerfield’s Mercedes was parked around 6.30pm on January 18, 2023.

The court was told that around 8.15pm, when Mr Dangerfield and his friend Jake Batic walked to the carpark, the group of men exited the Nissan and ran towards the pair while wearing face coverings.

The court heard Mr Dangerfield and Mr Batic were assaulted by members of the group, who were trying to force Mr Dangerfield into the Nissan.

Mr Dangerfield managed to escape, but left his Mercedes keys behind.

Mr Batic was forced into the Mercedes, before allegedly being taken away in another car with a pillowcase over his head.

The court heard Mr Batic was told to call Mr Dangerfield and leave a message saying it had all been a prank before being taken to a house where he was restrained and kicked.

It was alleged the men made a recording of Mr Batic at the house and threatened to release it unless he convinced Mr Dangerfield to drop the civil court case.

He was also allegedly told that if police became involved he would be killed or turned into a paraplegic.

He was later left at a Burbank address, from where he called an Uber back to his Gold Coast home at around 10.31pm.

After police investigations, Stanley, Al-Kobeissy and Edris Sayed Sadeed were charged with kidnapping offences, with the latter two men due to go on trial on August 22. They are contesting the charges.

Gold Coast influencer Eli Dangerfield.

Victim impact statements from Mr Dangerfield and Mr Batic read out in court shared that both men were diagnosed with PTSD and continue to be impacted by the assault.

“I am no longer the person I used to be despite constantly trying my best every day since,” Mr Dangerfield said in his statement.

The court heard his left eye was damaged as a result of the attack and still requires weekly physical therapy to treat the chronic pain from the assault.

He said his anxiety and the physical limitations caused by the attack have made it difficult for him to work as an online content creator and e-commerce business owner, and he withdrew the civil proceedings.

Mr Batic’s statement also said the crime had changed his life.

“Beyond the physical damage, the trauma of the night has shattered my mental and emotional health,” he said. “My ability to think, function and even feel like a normal person is gone.”

Stanley’s defence barrister Martin Longhurst, instructed by Dib and Associates, said his client was not a violent person.

The court heard Stanley’s promising rugby league career slipped out of his grasp during the COVID-19 pandemic and he turned to drugs and online gambling.

Mr Longhurst said his client, who owed money for drugs, was in a vulnerable position when he was asked to be involved in the kidnapping, was told no one was going to get hurt and it was just to scare someone.

The court heard when Stanley was in the car with Mr Batic, he told the man to the effect of: “promise bro, you’ll be okay”.

“I’m just planning on moving on with my life now,” he said.

Judge Nicole Kefford sentenced him to three and a half years in prison counting the 60 days he spent in pre-sentencing custody as time already served.

He will be eligible for parole on July 19, 2025.