Nihad Kapur pleads guilty to Upper Coomera armed robbery, burglary

A seven-year-old boy hid inside a wardrobe with his mother as strangers forced their way into and ransacked a Gold Coast home. Find out what happened when one of the burglars faced court

A seven-year-old boy hid inside a wardrobe with his mother as strangers forced their way into and ransacked a Gold Coast home.

Nihad Kapur was one of three people who targeted an Upper Coomera property on June 27, 2022, where a couple and their sons aged 16 and 7 were inside.

Southport District Court was told one of Kapur’s co-offenders knocked on the garage door and the father – believing it to be the colleague he was waiting for – opened it to let them in.

Prosecutor Amelia Baker-Smith said Kapur and a third unidentified person disguised in a balaclava took the man’s backpack and searched the garage for valuables as their other accomplice asked for the family’s mobile phones.

Ms Baker-Smith said the father used the opportunity to tell his wife what was happening and to call the police.

Kapur’s group demanded to know where a safe, drugs, and cash were, continuing to load up tools and other items into their vehicles when told there was no safe or substances.

The 16-year-old boy came into the garage during the burglary, with one of Kapur’s accomplices confronting him and grabbing a hammer.

Kapur and his co-offenders soon left the house. Unable to start one of the two cars they arrived in, the group fled with only the father’s backpack and its contents.

The court was told police tracked the getaway car and deployed spikes to stop it, with Kapur fleeing on foot before his arrest.

Ms Baker-Smith said Kapur’s conduct was less serious than that of his known co-offender, who was the main aggressor and inflicted any violence.

The 35-year-old was supported in court by both his current and former partners, his mother, and his children, with it heard he had welcomed a new baby while in custody.

Defence barrister Anthony Jamieson said his client had a history of using drugs to cope with past traumas and ongoing difficulties, but had undertaken courses while in jail and demonstrated insight into his offending and strategies to prevent relapse.

Mr Jamieson said Kapur would be able to return to work in the family business and household upon his release.

“It’s time that he grows up – it’s time he accepts that he’s a father of a very young child and accepts his responsibilities with his present partner,” he said.

Kapur pleaded guilty to one count each of armed robbery and burglary in company.

He was sentenced to five years’ jail with immediate parole eligibility.

Originally published as Nihad Kapur pleads guilty to Upper Coomera armed robbery, burglary