Robbie Kerbatieh left victim beaten and bloodied after Doncaster car extortion plot, court hears

A Melbourne thug brutally bashed a man, including kicking the victim six times as he lay on the ground, after he refused to sign over his car during a violent extortion attempt.

Robbie Kerbatieh, 44, pleaded guilty to extortion, theft and recklessly causing injury.

A Melbourne thug brutally bashed a man, including kicking the victim six times as he lay on the ground, after he refused to sign over his car during a violent extortion attempt.

Robbie Kerbatieh, 44, pleaded guilty to extortion, theft and recklessly causing injury in the County Court on Tuesday.

On May 16 last year, Kerbatieh was invited over to a friend’s house for a drink and arrived at a Doncaster home at 11.47pm with two other men, of whom one has already been sentenced to his role in the attack.

Shortly after arriving, Kerbatieh asked the homeowner to sign over the ownership of his car to him.

Robbie Kerbatieh, 44, appeared before the County Court of Victoria on Tuesday. Picture: Supplied.

The victim refused and Kerbatieh punched him in the face, leaving him “in a daze”.

One of the co-accused hit the homeowner over the head with a hammer and threatened to “slash his throat” if he did not sign over the car.

The victim, who was on the ground after being hit with the hammer, once again refused and Kerbatieh kicked him six times in the stomach.

The victim also had a glass smashed over his head by another co-accused.

A woman, who was passed out on the couch, then woke up and started screaming at the three men, asking them to stop.

Kerbatieh told the victim he was going to get the “belting of his life” if he did not sign over the car and tell him where the keys were.

The three men demanded to know where the car keys were located. Picture: Supplied.

The victim relented, signed the paperwork and told the three men the keys were in the bedroom.

Kerbatieh, who has relocated to South Morang, then demanded the victim and the woman hand over the hard drive containing the CCTV footage from inside the home.

The victim complied, but only handed him the hard drive for the outdoor cameras.

The trio then left the home with the victim.
Kerbatieh, who was on two counts of bail at the time, told police in an interview after his arrest that the extortion was “all lies” made up by the victim.

He also denied the extortion was for drug debts owed by the victim.

In court, Kerbatieh’s lawyer said the three men attacked the homeowner because he had been mistreating the woman inside the home, and the extortion was unplanned.

The court heard the extortion was not pre planned. Picture: Diego Fedele

He also said the extortion was for money the victim stole from Kerbatieh’s home while he was serving jail time in 2019.

The prosecution denied this version of events.

Judge David Sexton said the offending “does not sound spontaneous”.

“I am troubled by this offending,” he said.

The court heard after Kerbatieh was bailed for this incident he has since made significant progress in drug addiction rehabilitation.

Judge Sexton ordered for the sentence to be adjourned for four months so Kerbatieh could continue his rehabilitation.

“I have not made up my mind on the sentence,” Judge Sexton said.