An Australian man was kidnapped at knifepoint by a man he met on Craigslist.
The 51-year-old, whose name has not been released, posted a M4M personal ad earlier this year. 19-year-old Mitchell Hall responded to the ad and the two agreed to meet.
According to court documents, the victim picked up Hall in his car at around 12:30 a.m. on January 25. After getting into the vehicle, Hall directed him to drive to a nearby dock and park under a broken streetlamp. And that’s when things took a dark turn.
First, Hall told the man, “I do want a head job but only from my missus,” before proceeding to talk about his two little girls who were “bleeding him dry.” Then he pulled out a knife and started stabbing the dashboard while chanting, “I love this! I love this!”
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
Hall then demanded the victim take him to an ATM and withdraw all the money from his bank account. But when Hall learned the man’s account was empty, he flew into an even deeper rage, punching the victim in the face and calling him a “faggot” then forcing him back into the car.
The nightmare continued as Hall proceeded to “jab” the victim in the arm while screaming obscenities. Then he pointed the blade towards the man’s groin and threatened to “cut his dick off.”
The victim finally managed to escape after punching Hall in the face and jumping out of the vehicle, tearing a ligament in his knee and fracturing two toes and his wrist in the process. Afterwards, Hall lit the car on fire before hailing a cab home.
This week, Hall’s lawyer, Peter Hanlon, argued that his client suffered from a lifelong “conduct disorder,” which resulted in him being expelled from several schools as an adolescent. He’s also been on and off crystal meth since he was 16, though he claims he was sober during the attack, which might not have been the best defense.
But Chief Justice Trevor Riley was unmoved by the sob story.
After determining that Hall showed “no remorse” for his action, he told the 19-year-old, “Your conduct was quite bizarre,” before sentencing him to five years and eight months in prison.
h/t: NT News
