Melbourne’s violent offenders: Nicholas Lester, Ben Sosoli, Eleisha Antunovic and Sean Padget
Street attackers, angry dads, heated up hippies, Melbourne’s thugs come in all shapes. Here are some who went down for the count.
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Unfortunately violence is a daily occurrence in Melbourne but it doesn’t always come from where you expect it.
The dad who went nuts at his boy for playing Nintendo, a boozed hippy girl who booted an unconscious victim and a heated up street brawler who came off second best after an unprovoked attack all saw their numbers come up at court.
MICROSOFT DAD THROTTLED SON FOR PLAYING NINTENDO
A Melbourne dad who threatened to stop his son breathing because he wouldn’t stop playing a Nintendo game has avoided a conviction after a court was told his job was “precarious”.
Nicholas Lester was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in February to a 12-month community correction order after pleading guilty to unlawful assault.
The court heard Lester became “frustrated” and assaulted his then seven-year-old son about 1.30pm on February 6 last year.
Lester entered the victim’s room and placed his son in a chokehold because he wouldn’t stop “playing his game”.
The victim, whose face went “red”, yelled for his mother who ran to the West Melbourne apartment bedroom.
“I can’t breathe,” the victim said.
Lester, a senior Microsoft developer, then yelled at his son and now-estranged wife who was eight months’ pregnant at the time.
“I will stop him breathing,” Lester screamed.
The mother pulled Lester off her son but he continued to “berate” the victim before being told to leave the room.
The mother then left the apartment with her son who sustained a sore throat and stomach and bruising under his arms and eye.
Multiple residents of the multi-level complex who heard the loud altercation rushed to Lester’s apartment.
A witness also heard Lester scream out “I will stop him breathing”.
Police called to the scene activated body worn camera and knocked on Lester’s door just after 3pm.
The mother said Lester became “so enraged” and “lost it”.
She told police she believed Lester was “squeezing” her son “too tight”.
The defence made a late submission that Herald Sun reporting which exposed Lester led to his employer becoming aware of the offending.
Lester was also ordered to undertake 100 hours of unpaid community work.
UFC PUB THUG
UFC fighter Ben Sosoli made a video on “how to knockout someone out” before punching a drunk man at a Toorak bar.
Sosoli was sentenced in the County Court in October 2020 to a minimum 11 months’ jail after pleading guilty to recklessly causing serious injury.
Sosoli was working as a “responsible service of alcohol” officer at Jackson’s Lounge Bar early on September 8 2019.
Sosoli, an employee of Lionheart Security, was manning the front entrance of the Jackson St bar when his victim Deang Aguek was asked to leave the line.
Mr Aguek was told he would not get in but he rushed through the door and into the packed venue which was hosting an “African-themed” night at the time.
Sosoli and security guard Tony Mokbel ran after the “highly intoxicated” man who was “off his nut”.
Sosoli grabbed Mr Aguek and dragged him backwards “20 or 30m”, the court heard.
The pair scuffled and Sosoli — a professional fighter well-trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu — hit Mr Aguek square in the jaw.
Mr Aguek required oral and facial surgery to repair several “severe” injuries including a fractured jaw.
Mr Aguek, who couldn’t eat solid foods for six weeks, also required steel plates inserted into his face.
The court heard Sosoli had been training for “9 or 10” years but seriously for “2 or 3”.
Sosoli has fought nine times in the UFC for seven wins and two losses.
He also appeared on Channel 10 reality show The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters.
Sosoli, from Hoppers Crossing, told police “all I’m going to say at this point is the complainant (Mr Aguek) kept hitting me”.
“I kind of get hit in the face a lot in my daily job,” Sosoli said.
The court was told Sosoli had just returned from a professional bout in Las Vegas in the lead up to the assault.
Sosoli was jailed for a maximum 22 months.
PIZZA HUT MAD DOG
A Melbourne street hood who picked a fight with a stranger during a St Kilda booze session was the one who ended up in hospital despite pushing his victim through a window.
Sean Padget was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in January to a 12-month community correction order after pleading guilty to recklessly causing injury and affray.
Padget flew off the handle while walking along Fitzroy St following a “five or six” hour drinking session late on October 30, 2020.
Padget’s companion made repeated attempts to get his intoxicated mate home after the pair had boozed on at numerous St Kilda venues, the court was told.
The court heard CCTV depicted an “intoxicated” Padget walking along Fitzroy St “unsteady on his feet”.
The CCTV also depicted Padget “fronting up” to multiple people with his poor mate forced to ”step in” numerous times to “stop anything happening”.
Padget yelled at two people as they entered the Fitzroy St Pizza Hut.
The duo exited the Pizza Hut about 10 minutes later when the victim asked Padget which venue they were headed to next.
Padget, who became enraged and aggressive, ripped off his shirt and took off his shoes.
Padget’s mate attempted to pull his mad dog buddy away.
The duo also told Padget to move on because they “didn’t want any trouble”.
Padget lunged at his victim, grabbed his neck and smashed him through the Pizza Hut window.
Despite suffering lacerations the victim wrestled Padget to the ground, overpowered him and punched his attacker’s face numerous times.
Padget and his victim were pulled away from each other.
Padget, who also pleaded guilty to wilful damage, stood up and picked fights with other passers-by, the court was told.
Police, which received multiples calls regarding a brawl outside Pizza Hut, attended shortly after to find Padget running down a side street topless and covered in blood.
Padget, of Diamond Creek, was taken to the Alfred but his victim did not require medical treatment.
Padget, who appeared “visibly distressed” and “embarrassed” during his police interview, told investigators he could barely remember the incident.
The court heard Padget’s victim made a police statement which alleged his attacker attempted to “choke him with both hands”.
Padget was convicted and ordered to perform unpaid community work.
LAW STAFFER DIDI BASHER
A law firm admin staffer assaulted a DiDi driver and stole his car following a $200 fare from Moorabbin to McCrae.
Eleisha Antunovic was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last December to a 12-month good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to car theft and assault.
Antunovic ordered a $200.25 DiDi rideshare trip which was accepted by her 23-year-old victim just after midnight on March 22 last year.
The victim collected Antunovic from her Moorabbin location before arriving at a McCrae address about 1am, the court heard.
Antunovic, who asked the driver to pull over and let her out before the fare payment was processed, then clobbered her victim in the back of the head.
The driver, who suffered “intense and immediate” pain, tussled with Antunovic who was in possession of a yellow titanium gas cylinder.
The victim wrangled the canister from Antunovic and hopped out of his Toyota Camry.
Antunovic hopped into the driver’s seat and drove off but the victim had placed his hand on the driver’s door to thwart her getaway.
Antunovic slammed the door shut, which “briefly” trapped her victim’s hand in the door, and sped off.
The victim, who again suffered intense and immediate pain, sustained swelling and lacerations to his hand.
Antunovic was off and gone as she sped away through McCrae.
Antunovic, of McCrae, was spotted standing next to the Camry, which was parked in the middle of a road just before 2am.
Police arrested Antunovic and hauled her to Rosebud police station but she was deemed “unfit” to be interviewed.
Antunovic, who made “no comment” regarding the offending during an interview held later that morning, told police she had recently taken herself off prescription drugs.
Antunovic, who had spent 59 days on remand, was convicted and ordered to recommence a community correction order
VIOLENT BIKIE RUN THROUGH
A Carrum Downs bikie thug who copped to his role in a violent revenge attack sparked by a semi-naked Facebook photo has been jailed.
Pierce Williams was sentenced in the County Court last September to a minimum three years’ jail after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary.
Finks Cranbourne chapter henchman Williams was recruited into the revenge plot after a fake Facebook account purporting to be bikie moll Tara Egglestone was created.
The court heard semi-naked photos of Egglestone were posted to the bogus Facebook account.
Egglestone, mother of two, suspected her ex-boyfriend was responsible for the online nude scandal, and feeling upset and humiliated asked then Finks national president Brent “BJ” Reker to storm the man’s Hampton Park house on September 9, 2018.
Reker, Williams and patched bikies Nathan Martinow and Corey Wanakore-Moeke smashed their way into the victim’s home, beating his face with a tyre lever as he lay in bed with his girlfriend.
During the onslaught, one of them yelled: “Let’s just blow his kneecaps out and kill the girl”.
The victim’s face was beaten so badly he had to go to hospital, the court was told.
Williams’ role during the burglary was to stand guard at the victim’s father’s bedroom, the
Echo Taskforce members raided Williams’ Carrum Downs but the bikie was nowhere to be found.
Instead police seized a firearm, knuckledusters, ammunition and Finks clothing from the property.
Williams, who has spent 611 days on remand, was arrested after he handed himself into police.
The court heard Williams, a painter, hoped to work as a landscaper and reunite with his partner and child once released from prison.
Egglestone was later sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary and intentionally cause injury.
Williams, who also pleaded guilty to intentionally cause injury and possession of an unregistered category A longarm, was jailed for a maximum five years.
All charges against Reker were dropped after he was found dead in his cell at the Ravenhall Correctional Centre, with authorities saying he took his own life, in December 2019.
Martinow was jailed for three years and eight months for his involvement.
Wanakore-Moeke pleaded guilty to four counts of possessing a drug of dependence and was convicted and issued a $750 fine.
YOUNG THUG AND THE DEAD DAD
A young thug who participated in an Oakleigh East aggravated burglary which left a father dead later begged for forgiveness.
John Panagiotou was sentenced in the County Court last August to a three-year community correction order after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary and intentionally cause injury.
Panagiotou, armed with a baton, was one of six thugs including his brother who stormed their victim’s Clayton Rd home just before 5.30am on February 9, 2019.
The hot-headed gang raided the property to retrieve stolen DJ hire equipment which the owner had tracked to the home via a Gumtree ad.
Panagiotou clobbered his 46-year-old victim with the baton, the court was told.
Another thug discharged a sawn-off shotgun in Hutchings’ face.
The thugs fled but returned to grab the DJ equipment before fleeing again.
Hutchings, a father of five, was later taken to hospital where he died.
Judge Wendy Wilmoth said the cause of death was a gunshot wound.
The court heard Panagiotou was working for his brother’s DJ hire equipment business at the time of the attack.
Panagiotou’s brother George Panagiotou was earlier jailed for a maximum two years and three months’ jail with a minimum of 12 months.
George was a part-owner of the equipment who played a “far greater” role in the attack, the court heard.
Panagiotou, who read an apology letter to the court just prior to the sentencing, was convicted and ordered to complete 400 hours of unpaid community work.
LOCKDOWN PROTESTER BASHED COP HORSE
A hothead former bikie brawled with a cop and beat a police horse during a violent showdown at an anti-lockdown protest.
Dennis Basic pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in February to multiple charges including beating a police horse and assaulting an emergency services worker on duty.
Basic attacked the defenceless horse with a flag pole during an anti-lockdown protest at the Shrine on October 23, 2020.
The hothead former bikie struck the troop horse with a “resist” flag “multiple times” with “force”, according to a prosecution summary tendered to the court.
Basic had only minutes earlier brawled with a cop, ripping the senior constable’s police issue cap from his head.
Basic scampered after the horse attack and hid among the swell of protesters.
Basic was linked to the attack via his clothing and tattoos with police relying on body-cam footage and a video taken by a Herald Sun journalist at the scene.
Police tracked Basic to his Narre Warren South home where he was arrested on November 18, 2020.
Investigators raided the home and seized multiple cans of capsicum spray, flick knives, a baton and various illegal firecrackers.
Basic, who remained “mute” throughout his police interview, was charged and released.
However, the animal abuser was later accused of throwing a traffic bollard at a policewoman on horseback during last year’s violent lockdown protests.
Basic picked up a traffic bollard and threw it in the direction of a group of officers patrolling Swanston St on horseback, about 12.15pm on July 24.
A female senior constable was struck, while Basic allegedly fled.
The former Hells Angel had previously been involved in a tit-for-tat feud with the Comanchero in 2013, with the then-prospect bashed by members of the rival club over stolen motorcycles.
He was later regarded as a “turncoat” by the Hells Angels after cutting contact with gang members.
Basic will face a County Court plea hearing on June 7.
THE DAFFY HIPPY GIRL
A Byron Bay hippy who went daffy and kicked an unconscious man following a wild Melbourne brawl has avoided a conviction.
April Van Schoonhoven was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in January to a 12-month good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to affray by using unlawful violence.
The court heard Van Schoonhoven and another person approached a car on Flinders St just before midnight on February 21, 2020.
Van Schoonhoven’s companion assaulted a victim who was sitting in the car.
A fight erupted after the car occupants hopped out and retaliated, the court was told.
Van Schoonhoven pushed and shoved a victim during the fight.
The warring parties calmed down but hostilities flared up again after a heated word exchange.
Van Schoonhoven’s companion punched a victim and knocked him out.
Van Schoonhoven kicked the victim while he was unconscious on the ground, the court was told.
Police tracked and identified Van Schoonhoven and her cronies via CCTV.
Van Schoonhoven later told police she “thinks” she approached the car and asked an occupant for a cigarette.
Van Schoonhoven also claimed she couldn’t remember the incident because she was “intoxicated” but identified herself on the CCTV stills.
The court heard Van Schoonhoven moved to Byron Bay following the incident where she currently works at a resort earning $1000 per week.
Van Schoonhoven, who has no priors nor subsequent offending, was also ordered to pay $250 to the court fund.
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