Wodonga man Scott Coates acted like ‘drug lord’ over $50 debt, court told
A man who carved his initials into his victim’s skin over a measly debt “acted like a mafia drug lord”, a court has been told.
A Wodonga man “acted like a mafia drug lord” when he repeatedly assaulted and kidnapped his victim over a $50 drug debt, a court has been told.
Scott Coates, 24, appeared in the County Court on Friday via video link from Port Phillip Prison where Judge Elizabeth Gaynor described how he carved “SC” into his victim’s skin.
Coates had earlier pleaded guilty to a spate of offences, including drug possession and trafficking, false imprisonment, kidnapping, theft, damaging property, and intentionally causing injury.
While handing down her sentence, Judge Gaynor laid bare the harrowing details of Coates’ crime spree in which he repeatedly beat his 19-year-old victim.
Coates was contacted via Snapchat in December 2020 by a man who wanted to buy cannabis.
His victim was meant to transfer $50 to Coates for three grams of the drug but fell asleep.
Judge Gaynor said Coates was angry that he had not been paid. When he arrived at another man’s home, where his victim was asleep in the garage, Coates started punching and kneeing the man.
He also threatened him with a machete before demanding the man take Coates to his home.
“If there's anyone at your house I’ll f--king kill you,” Coates told his victim, Judge Gaynor said.
It was here that Coates and his co-accused Lochlan Nixon-May, who has also pleaded guilty to similar charges of unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping, theft, assault and drug trafficking, duct taped their victim to a chair while collecting 91 items from around the home, including a guitar, watches and gold chains, Judge Gaynor said.
Coates also took a knife from the kitchen and punctured a hole in the pool before telling his victim “not to f--k with Scott again”.
He then carved the initials “SC” into the man’s skin, the court was told.
Judge Gaynor said Coates punched the accused several times and stomped on his torso before forcing him to transfer him $54.
He then started loading the stolen items into the man’s Commodore. The court was told that after taking the wheel Coates asked: “Where do you want to get dropped off? I’ll make you walk back (home) naked.”
Judge Gaynor said Coates dropped the man at the local hospital.
She said Coates was in possession of methamphetamine when he was arrested by police days later.
During a police interview Coates denied most of the offending and only admitted to “selling a little bit of pot here and there”. Judge Gaynor said.
He also claimed he took his victim to hospital straight away.
“I didn’t even beat him that hard,” he told police while trying to shift the blame to his co-accused.
Judge Gaynor took into account Coates had a limited criminal history and was under the influence of drugs at the time of the offending.
She also noted that he was an intelligent man with strong prospects of rehabilitation if he could stay off drugs and the offending was out of character, but that didn’t take away from its “cruel” nature.
“The offending was appalling, cruel and involved elements of torture,” Judge Gaynor said.
“It was an extraordinary episode of offending against a perfectly harmless victim.
“You behaved like a mafia drug lord.”
Judge Gaynor had earlier likened Coates to acting like Tony Montana in the film Scarface.
Coates was sentenced to 11 months jail but has already served more than 235 days pre-sentence detention.
He will be put on a two-year community corrections order once released.