Cosimo Motolese pleads guilty at Seymour Magistrates’ Court after threatening to ‘stab’ landlord

A drunken Whroo dog breeder threatened to stab his landlord after being told he was being evicted.

Cosimo Motolese appeared at the Seymour Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. Picture: Supplied

A drunken Whroo man told his employer and landlord he would “stab” him if he didn’t pay up.

Cosimo Motolese, 52, appeared at the Seymour Magistrates’ Court pleading guilty after threatening to stab his landlord but the charge was dismissed.

The court heard Motolese was renting and working under his landlord at a Lake Rd property in Whroo.

Motolese was chatting to his landlord who brought up his eviction notice on February 1, 2022.

Hours after their discussion, the 52-year-old got drunk and contacted his landlord leaving him threatening texts and voice messages that said “I will stab you”.

Concerned and frightened, Motolese’s landlord contacted the police and Motolese was taken to a nearby police station on February 3.

He was later arrested and charged.

The dog breeder told the court he made the threats because he was “very drunk” and “didn’t mean it”.

He said he was angry at his landlord for the eviction notice who he had paid $5000 to in rent and bills over six months.

Motolese told the court the landlord had told him he would decrease the rent and pay him for work he was completing for him.

He was told by his landlord he was working for that he would drop the rent for him and would pay him for his work, to which he did not.

“Everybody hates him — the entire community — they have been screwed over by him,” Mr Motolese told the court.

“This person has been driving up and down my place videoing me and I told the police he has been f***ing everybody around.”

Motolese said he was furious he had worked for free for six months, and was stressed at having to pay his taxes which made him “lose the plot”.

Despite the threats, Magistrate Victoria Campbell said Motolese had no prior criminal history, he had lost “a lot of money” and had had too much to drink.

“It’s gone — it’s dismissed,” Ms Campbell said.

Ms Campbell dismissed the charge against Motolese, therefore recording no conviction.