Whittlesea alleged kidnapping: Woman escapes moving car in Kinglake West
This is straight out of the movies. A group allegedly stormed into a Whittlesea home at night, tied up a woman and tried to get her to drink bleach. They then put her in a car boot and drove off. But they hadn’t counted on their plucky prisoner’s resolve.
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A woman who was allegedly viciously kidnapped from her Whittlesea home managed to escape her three attackers by untying herself and jumping from the boot of a moving car.
One of the alleged attackers, an 18-year-old Lilydale man with no criminal history, was granted bail before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, October 8.
Another of the alleged offenders, a woman in her 30s, had already been released on strict bail conditions.
Wearing black clothes they’d especially bought from Kmart, the three attackers allegedly forced their way into the woman’s Whittlesea home about 10.30pm on July 29.
They allegedly overpowered her, tied her wrists and ankles with belts and duct tape and covered her eyes with duct tape.
The woman allegedly bit one of their fingers, causing her to lose her two bottom front teeth, before one of the attackers tried to make her drink a liquid believed to be bleach.
The group allegedly rummaged through her belongings then put her in the boot of a car and drove to Out Rd, Kinglake West.
On the way she managed to free her hands and feet, remove one of the car’s tail lights and activate the boot lock to get the boot to open.
She jumped out of the car when it slowed down then ran and hid in bushland.
The group allegedly briefly searched for her, with one yelling, “This is what happens when you owe people money,” then threw her belongings on the road and left.
She ran to a nearby property for help.
The police arrived to find her with a leather collar around her neck, bruising on her face and shoulder and a large bleach stain on her jumper.
Many of her possessions were found on Out Rd, while her handbag and phone had been stolen.
The group went back to a Doreen property where they allegedly burnt the clothing they’d been wearing and cleaned the inside of the car.
Hours after the attack the group allegedly shared a YouTube video between them on Facebook messenger, which demonstrated how to unlock a boot from the inside.
Police allegedly found blood and hair in one of their car boots, which is to be DNA tested against the woman’s.
The group was allegedly friends with the woman’s landlord, and one had been fighting with her over text earlier that month.
The court heard the woman was petrified and had moved address several times out of fear since the alleged attack.
Magistrate John Bentley said the case wouldn’t be able to be heard until later next year, and bailed the 18-year-old to be supervised by the Youth Justice program with the condition his parents put up $5000 surety.
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