A Victorian man armed for war raided an animal shelter and held a terrified worker captive in a failed bid to get his pet cat back.
Tony Wittman was jailed for six years in the County Court of Victoria on Friday after pleading guilty to five charges, including false imprisonment, aggravated burglary, criminal damage and carry an imitation weapon.
The 45-year-old launched the shocking night-time attack on the Lost Dogs’ Home shelter at Cranbourne on January 11, 2021, xjmtzywafter he was told he couldn’t collect his cat until the next day.
He packed an arsenal, including imitation weapons, military clothes and a pet carrier before he headed to the shelter and confronted after-hours ranger Bailey Scott when she arrived at 10.30pm.
The impact was profound and she “clearly experienced horror and fear”, Judge Duncan Allen said.
In an emotional statement aired in court, Ms Scarlett described how she struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder after she was subjected to the “military-style ambush”.
“You were prepared for war, you were dressed for war and you’re armed with the weapons of war,” Ms Scarlett told the court.
She lashed Wittman’s claims that he was in the military and his decision to post details of himself on an extras website where he wanted to be a “war-torn extra or a gunman in a movie”.
“You were so unhinged, so unforgiving and cold,” Ms Scarlett said.
Wittman forced the young mum into the shelter, threatened to shoot her with an imitation assault rifle and demanded to know where the cats were kept.
When Wittman realised the woman didn’t have access to the cages, he tied up the terrified worker with cable ties and forced her to count to 100 before she could call for help.
Wittman did not collect his cat and dumped his equipment before he drove back to his Langwarrin home.
He went to the shelter the next day as arranged to collect the pet and staff called police when they recognised him from CCTV footage.
Wittman initially denied his crimes but later confessed and blamed it on a “brain meltdown”.
“The only thing I really treasure in this world is that cat and it was taken away from me,” he told police.
Wittman’s defence lawyer told the court that the former reservist suffered PTSD from childhood abuse he suffered at the hands of his father and a teacher.
Wittman initially told police after his arrest that he suffered from the psychiatric disorder as a result of the 16 years he served in the Defence Force.
But he only served as a reservist for two years in the ’90s and was discharged for “failure to render efficient service”.
Wittman must spend at least three years behind bars before he is eligible for parole and has already served 410 days.
