Prawn trawler crewman Gentjan Daullxiu, 39, sentenced for extortion

A Cairns trawler worker targeted a man he knew had just been robbed, extorting him for money in return for the recovery of the stolen goods, a Cairns court has heard.

A Cairns man targeted an individual her knew had recently been robbed, extorting money from him in exchange for the recovery of the stolen goods. Picture: Brendan Radke.

A Cairns man targeted an individual he knew had recently been robbed, extorting money from him in exchange for the recovery of the stolen goods, a Cairns court has heard.

Gentjan Daullxiu, 39, a prawn trawler worker and concreter, pleaded guilty to extortion in Cairns District Court on Monday, June 6, after he targeted an acquaintance who had been robbed in his own home.

Prosecutor Angus Malyon told the court that the complainant had been the victim of an armed robbery by an “unknown male” the day before he was extorted.

The man’s phone and wallet containing bank cards were stolen.

Reading the agreed facts, Judge Tracy Fantin stated that Daullxiu knew the man.

“During the robbery, the victim determined that the man who was robbing him somehow knew the defendant,” she said.

Judge Fantin said that the next day, the man, after discussions with Daullxiu’s partner, came to the house and informed him he had been robbed.

“You said, ‘Yeah, my friend just got out of jail and wanted some money’,” she said.

Daullxiu asked if he had any money on his bank cards and said, “You’re going to give me your money if you want your phone back, that’s just how it works”.

The man withdrew $290 and gave it to Daullxiu, who told him to collect his phone and cards from his partner at their home.

Mr Malyon informed the court that Daullxiu had previously been convicted and imprisoned for drug trafficking and had been taken back into custody after a warrant was issued for his arrest when he failed to appear before the extortion charges.

Daullxiu, who represented himself, told the court he was born in Sicily and left school when he was eight years old to work for his family’s concreting business.

He moved to Australia in his early 20s and became a citizen.

He expressed remorse to those involved and said he had met the wrong people who introduced him to the use of methylamphetamine.

He told the court he had a daughter with a previous partner and now had two sons who lived with autism, whom he wished to return to as they received “stem cell” treatment.

Mr Malyon clarified to the court that the two boys were not his sons and revealed he had spoken to the boys’ mother, who denied the boys were receiving stem cell treatment and said the “best thing he could do for the boys was stay away” and that she was upset he would use them to try to get out of custody.

Judge Fantin said Daullxiu had exploited someone who was vulnerable and gained financial benefit, describing the extortion as unsophisticated with “very little planning.”

Daullxiu was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment.

Originally published as Prawn trawler crewman Gentjan Daullxiu, 39, sentenced for extortion