Bound, gagged, injected

Woman pleads guilty to luring man to her home

A WOMAN has admitted to holding a man captive and gagged in her Whittington home while injecting a needle into his arm in an attempt to extort him for money.

Sarah Stanford, 23, fronted Geelong County Court charged with extortion, robbery, common assault and false imprisonment after pleading guilty to luring the man to her home using a dating app in September 2019.

Judge Geoffrey Chettle said the victim had been “subjected to the ultimate terror” throughout the entire multihour ordeal.

“In my 20-odd-years, I don’t think I’ve seen something as bizarre, and in some places as scary, as this,” he said.

The pair arranged to meet, with the defendant demanding he bring Hungry Jacks and drugs, but Stanford (pictured) later abused him after he arrived without any food.

Demands were made for his wallet and debit card, and Stanford threatened the victim’s family if he didn’t give her his paycheck each week.

The man was tied to a chair with duct tape, cable ties and rope and a red gag in his mouth where he was repeatedly punched and hit.

At one point during the 1½ hour ordeal, Stanford threatened to shoot the victim, poured an unknown liquid over his shirt, threatened to set him alight and made him bark like a dog.

Telling the man she was going to “turn him into a junkie”, she injected an unknown substance into his arm, which made him feel “relaxed and gluggy”.

An impact statement read aloud by prosecutor Andrew Moore revealed the victim felt his life had “changed forever”.

“When I leave my home, I’m in fear and constantly looking over my shoulder,” it read

Towards the end of the incident, she cut the victim free and led him to the front door, making more demands for money. “You’re so lucky we’re letting you go, now you’ve got two seconds to run out of this house or I will f..king stab you,” she said.

Stanford demanded the victim pay her every Wednesday and not to report the matter to the police or there would be trouble.

Her ex-girlfriend was also present throughout the assault, but charges against her have since been dropped.

The man fled to a friend’s house and reported the incident to police later that day.

Defence lawyer John Lavery cited the lengthy time Stanford had already spent on remand, her early plea and difficult upbringing as factors to be taken into consideration when sentencing.

Mr Moore told the court there had been an “element” of pre-planning in the way she lured the victim to her home.

Stanford, who appeared via video link from the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, will appear before the court on January 28 for sentencing.