WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
A man was bashed, slashed and burned with a blowtorch in an hour of “gratuitous, drug-fuelled violence” by a group following a botched drug deal, a court has been told.
Rachael Ellen Strange, Joseph Paul Carpenter and Bradley John Gundy took part in the gruesome attack on their victim after forcing him into a Brisbane hotel unit.
The attack only stopped after the victim’s cries for help were heard and a hotel supervisor noticed the bloodied, beaten man lying on the floor.
On Thursday, Strange, Carpenter and Gundy learned their fate for the offending at Brisbane District Court.
They all pleaded guilty to a raft of serious charges, including deprivation of liberty, wounding and assaults occasioning bodily harm.
The court was told the victim and an associate bought methylamphetamine from Strange days before the attack but she was not paid correctly.
“There was an exchange of messages between them where, for whatever reason … (the victim) sent sexually inappropriate messages,” Mr Coker said.
The offending happened by “coincidence” on June 7, 2020 after the couch-surfing victim was cornered by Carpenter and Strange in a hotel lift in Brisbane.
Mr Coker said two other people – who were not before the court for sentencing – joined in the attack after the man was forced up the lift into a hotel room.
Over an hour, the victim was stomped on, pistol-whipped, punched and kicked.
Carpenter slashed the man’s face with a knife, leaving an 8cm-long cut, before burning his feet with a blowtorch.
Another man pistol-whipped the victim, put a gun to his head and told him: “Pull down your pants, I’m going to blow your cock off”.
“Ms Strange … was watching and laughing as the complainant was being assaulted and did nothing to assist him,” Mr Coker said.
Mr Coker said some of the defendants talked of killing the victim because they’d “gone too far”.
The offending only stopped after a hotel employee heard the victim’s cries for help.
Judge Katherine McGinness said all three defendants detained their victim, while Gundy and Strange were parties to Carpenter’s knife attack by their deliberate presence.
“What a lovely set of circumstances for your family to have to witness,” Judge McGinness said.
She noted the trio was significantly drug-affected before the attack, which involved an extreme level of “gratuitous, drug-fuelled violence”.
Carpenter’s lawyer said his client had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, but had the support of his family throughout his life.
He said Carpenter was seeking treatment for his mental health behind bars.
The court was told Strange had a disadvantaged upbringing and struggled with “uncontrollable anger”.
“She didn’t deny any involvement or evade police in any way that … impacted their investigation,” her lawyer said.
A lawyer for Gundy said his client had a difficult upbringing marked by homelessness and had been introduced to drugs while on the streets.
Carpenter and Gundy were jailed for four years and four-and-a-half years respectively.
Both men will be eligible for parole in June.
Strange was sentenced to three years’ jail but with time served her jail term was suspended for three years.
She also received a two-year probation order.
The court was told one woman had already been sentenced for her role in the attack, while another man was due to stand trial later this year.
