Tradie Jiangang Ji who kidnapped his boss’s children felt ‘hard done by’

A tradie who bound and gagged his boss’s wife before kidnapping their children says he carried out the revenge plot because he was bullied and afraid he would be reported to immigration.

Detectives at the home in Blackburn North where the children were abducted. Picture: David Crosling

A tradie working illegally in Australia carried out a “vengeful plan” against his boss by kidnapping his children because he claims he feared being reported to immigration authorities.

Jiangang Ji, a former plasterer, is facing years behind bars after he broke into his boss’s Blackburn North home, bound and gagged his wife and abducted the couple’s two young children in the boot of the family’s car.

In a horrifying ordeal that lasted 12 hours, Ji then threatened to “destroy” the children unless a $1m ransom was paid.

The County Court on Wednesday heard Ji, 38, carried out the revenge plot because he claimed his boss bullied, abused and threatened to report him to immigration authorities.

But the pre-sentence hearing heard a forensic psychologist diagnosed Ji with a severe depressive disorder and he had an “overvalued belief” of persecution.

Prosecutor Kristie Churchill noted the psychologist found Ji had control over his actions, could make reasonable decisions and understood the wrongfulness of what he was doing.

“The plan is then acted on with numerous options to desist or retract, but he follows through in such a way to maximise the pain and distress, not only to (his boss), but to his wife and his two very young children,” she said.

Jiangang Ji.

Ji’s lawyer Carmela Pezzimenti said her client’s “difficulties” with his boss extended to other workers, citing a character reference from a co-worker which claimed their salary was cut without notice and they were not paid on time.

Judge Gabriele Cannon said the jaded tradesman was fuelled by vengeance and carried out the abduction to “maximise hurt” against his boss.

“It just seems to be a lingering thing, he felt very hard done by ... and wanted to take it out on his family,” she said.

“He’s pretty calculated in what he’s doing, how he’s doing it and how he’ll get away with it.”

The court heard the children’s mother was too distressed to submit a victim impact statement.

Ji was found guilty by a jury of three charges, including assaulting the woman, after previously admitting to five offences including kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated burglary and motor vehicle theft.

On August 23, 2021, he waited in his car for an hour before his boss, who had employed him as a plasterer on and off for a year, left his home in Melbourne’s east.

Armed with a knife, Ji then broke in via an unlocked side window and bound and gagged his boss’s wife.

He abducted the woman’s two young children, aged five and three, in the boot of the family’s black Mercedes-Benz.

He drove the stolen car to his Mitcham home where he locked the children in a room and called his boss demanding a $1m ransom.

Police were able to quickly track Ji because he left his red Toyota Camry outside the family’s home.

Investigators swooped in and arrested him at his home about 12 hours after the abduction.

The children were found unharmed and returned safely to their parents.

Ms Pezzimenti told Wednesday’s hearing Ji came to Australia on a tourist visa from China in 2017 and worked illegally to support his family back home.

Ji immediately admitted to police that he took the children, which Ms Pezzimenti said was evidence of her client’s remorse.

Seated in the dock wearing a suit, Ji at times sighed as a Mandarin interpreter translated the hearing to him.

He has spent more than two years on remand and will be sentenced on December 13 and likely deported upon his release.