Monique Fryers faces County Court over ‘brutal’ Alfredton burglary and kidnapping

A Wendouree meth addict “has difficulty explaining” why she got involved in a nightmarish kidnapping plot in which she hosted a man’s terrifying imprisonment in her own backyard.

Wendouree woman Monique Fryers has faced court for her role in a “brutal” case of false imprisonment. Picture: File

A Wendouree meth addict “has difficulty explaining” why she got involved in a nightmarish kidnapping plot in which she hosted a man’s terrifying imprisonment in her own backyard.

Monique Fryers, 41, faced County Court on Wednesday having earlier pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, false imprisonment, theft, and kidnapping over her role in the “brutal” exploitation of an Alfredton resident in early 2024.

The court heard in March a trio — made up of Ballarat residents Fryers, Tanya Zimmermann, 40, and Michael Johnson, 38 — conspired to commit an aggravated burglary against a man in his 40s who lived alone.

First, Zimmerman smashed a window to get into the man’s home and told him she and Fryers had come from Anglicare for a welfare check.

Tanya Zimmermann, Monique Fryers, and Michael Johnson conspired to commit an aggravated burglary in Alfredton. Picture: File

Fryers, who drove Zimmermann around, then recruited Johnson as “muscle”, and the group came in through the same broken window about 4am the next day.

They put a hood over the “hapless” resident’s head and bound his wrists and ankles with rope.

Johnson assaulted him in his bedroom, and he and Zimmermann took nearly $40,000 from his bank account.

They then dragged him, hooded and semi-dressed, to Fryers’ Wendouree property and locked him in a caravan for several days before having him attend Ballarat Central’s NAB bank branch to squeeze him for more cash.

But the plot was foiled there, and Fryers tried to cover it up by removing the caravan from her backyard.

Ballarat Central NAB branch on the corner of Sturt and Windermere Sts, where the kidnapping plot was foiled by an employee. Picture: Google Maps

The court heard on Wednesday that Zimmerman was a relatively new associate for Fryers, whereas Johnson was “like a brother or a cousin” to her.

Prior to the aggravated burglary, Fryers told Johnson she’d “got an earn”, to which he replied, “Keen, need coin” and said he had a pair of large bolt cutters.

Fryers was not in the room when the victim was assaulted, but was described as “turning a blind eye to whatever brutality” was taking place.

Judge Frances Hogan questioned Fryers’ lawyer Jennifer McGarvie about her client’s thought process and her relationships with the co-offenders.

She said she sensed “a degree of stonewalling” given the “paucity of information” Fryers had provided.

Fryers will be sentenced in May. Picture: File

Ms McGarvie said Fryers thought the victim’s house was that of one of Zimmermann’s friends.

She said her client “has difficulty explaining the reasons for her offending behaviour” and “can’t say why she got involved”, but was less culpable for what occurred.

Judge Hogan likened Fryers’ role to “the person who stands lookout at a bank when it’s being robbed” and said she found it likely she was financially motivated.

She decried the fact that the victim’s memories regarding Fryers’ involvement had been questioned at earlier court hearings, forcing him to relive the horrifying event, and said that while Fryers had trauma in her past, she committed the crimes “because she’s an ice addict”.

Fryers, who was born in Warrnambool and grew up mostly in Mildura, will be sentenced on May 21.

She has spent 460 days in custody.

Johnson and Zimmerman have both pleaded guilty but are yet to be sentenced.