Catherine Colivas: Woman lured Saudi Arabian prince to Bitcoin kidnapping
A former childcare worker enlisted in a plot to kidnap and ransom a Saudi Arabian prince has learnt her fate for being the “bait”.
A former childcare worker who lured a Saudi Arabian prince into a Bitcoin-ransom kidnapping has learnt her fate.
Catherine Colivas, 23, appeared supported by family in the Victorian County Court on Monday as she avoided jail on charges including kidnapping, extortion, burglary and recklessly causing injury.
Handing down her sentence, Judge Nola Karapanagiotidis found there were “exceptional and rare” personal circumstances that justified a sentence for Colivas to remain in the community.
The court was told Colivas, using the name Anastasia, met the man on a dating app and arranged a night out on February 28 last year for drinks and a meal together.
After the date, he offered to walk her home where he was jumped by three men and stuffed into a white VW Golf before being driven to an industrial estate.
The prince, 23, was cuffed with zip ties and threatened with having his fingers cut off and killed if he did not pay a $20,000 ransom.
He told them he did not have access to that kind of cash but could obtain Bitcoin as a knife was held to his throat.
The court was told the man’s phone had been dropped during the scuffle and Colivas was contacted and dropped it off to his kidnappers.
He was able to contact a friend in the UK via Snapchat who wired $15,000 in bitcoin to the kidnappers, but they weren’t satisfied.
A further demand was made for $10,000 via Snapchat with threats against the prince’s life, with the friend transferring an additional $5000.
The prince was dumped on the street and drove himself to the nearest police station where he collapsed and was taken to hospital.
During the ordeal, Colivas and a friend, Paris Kennedy, 21, had attended his apartment, stealing luxury goods including designer clothes and bags, four iPhones and a PS5.
Judge Karapanagiotidis said the kidnapping had a traumatic impact on the man’s life, and he now experienced a loss of trust, PTSD and nightmares of the attack.
“My life has drastically changed after the events of this crime … How a peaceful night out turned out to be one of the most horrific nights of my life,” he said.
Consultant psychologist Luke Armstrong opined that Colivas became involved in the plot because she was desensitised to violence and “seducing the victim” had a bolstering impact on her negative self-image.
In her sentencing remarks, Judge Karapanagiotidis found Colivas’ past exposure to abuse and violence, mental health and substance-use problems and the recent unexpected death of her brother Andrew overseas provided “substantial and compelling” justification to not impose a sentence of imprisonment.
She has made a “significant” effort towards rehabilitation over the past two years, the judge said.
“Your offending was clearly serious … you performed a role as a lure or bait for the victim,” she said.
“I consider a significant community corrections order is satisfactory in meeting the sentencing objectives.”
Colivas was placed on a 2½ year community corrections order with drug, alcohol and mental health treatment and ordered to complete 240 hours of unpaid community work.
Her co-offender Kennedy was sentenced to a year-long adjourned undertaking to be of good behaviour and counselling on charges of burglary and theft.
The court was told both women had written apology letters to the man who watched the hearing via a videolink.
Colivas now works at a salon and has become very active in her church community, while Kennedy plans to return to NSW and open a cosmetic tattooing business.