Claim women tortured man, 46
Man told: Bark like dog
A MAN feared he was going to die after he was allegedly tied up, drugged and threatened to be shot and set alight by two women in Whittington on Friday night.
Sarah Stanford, 23, and Trudi Butterfield, 43, appeared in custody at the Geelong Magistrates’ Court yesterday facing charges stemming from the bizarre incident, allegedly sparked because Hungry Jacks food was not brought to a meeting of the trio.
The women are accused of robbing the alleged victim while he was held captive for hours and forcing him to bark and meow.
A MAN feared he was going to die after he was allegedly tied up and drugged by two women during a violent armed robbery in Whittington on Friday night.
Sarah Stanford, 23, and Trudi Butterfield, 43, appeared in custody at the Geelong Magistrates’ Court yesterday facing various charges stemming from the bizarre incident.
The women — both from Whittington — are accused of taunting and robbing the alleged victim while he was held captive for several hours inside their home.
The court heard the alleged attack may have been sparked after the 46-year-old man failed to bring fast food to the address.
Ms Stanford and Ms Butterfield have been charged with offences including false imprisonment and armed robbery.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Alex Good said the man at the centre of the incident came into contact with Ms Stanford in early September via the Skout social networking app, while he was looking for someone to share drugs with him.
The court heard the man organised to meet Ms Stanford at her home on Friday, before arriving at the address between 7.30pm and 8pm.
But the situation allegedly turned sour after he was invited inside and produced only ice, with claims Ms Stanford was “aggravated” after the man did not bring Hungry Jacks food as requested.
She is accused of arming herself with a large kitchen knife and warning the man: “If you don’t do what I say, I’m going to slice you.”
Ms Stanford then allegedly took the man’s wallet before attempting to obtain $10,000 from his online banking account.
Sen-Constable Good told the court the alleged victim was then tied to a chair with duct tape, cable ties and rope.
While tied up, it is claimed the man was: RESTRAINED with a red mouth gag; FORCED to bark like a dog and meow like a cat; COVERED in liquid and warned he could be shot and set alight; and, INJECTED with an unknown substance in his right arm.
The court heard he was eventually cut free before running to his car and fleeing the scene.
Sen-Constable Good said the man quickly reported the matter to police, who observed ligature marks on his wrists and an injection mark on his arm.
Ms Stanford and Ms Butterfield were arrested on Sunday when police attended the home, where they allegedly found cable ties and duct tape, including some stuck to a dining table chair.
The pair were refused bail in court and remanded until January next year.