Nurse kidnapper jailed
A TEEN who was part of an ice-addled gang that kidnapped and robbed a nurse has been sentenced to five years in jail.
Nicholas David Dines, 18, pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court yesterday to multiple charges including armed robbery and deprivation of liberty relating to the incident on December 1.
Crown prosecutor Julie Aylward told the court Dines and three accomplices jumped out of a stolen car and grabbed graduate nurse Joe Brooker outside the Pindara Private Hospital, where he had been working.
They threatened him with knives and a replica handgun before stuffing him into the back of his own car and driving off.
The group drove Mr Brooker to an ATM on Parkwood Dr, Ashmore where they used his bank card to withdraw $500.
The court was told that once they had the cash, a member of the group suggested taking Mr Brooker to a secluded area and bashing him.
The group decided to park the car on a hill and send it down a street by taking off the handbrake while Mr Brooker was inside the boot.
Dines, who was using the drug ice daily at the time, told a “terrified” Mr Brooker not to tell police about the robbery because they knew where he lived.
The car crashed on Kurrambee Ave in Ashmore about 4.20am.
Witnesses found Mr Brooker covered in blood after he managed to escape from the car.
“Don’t call the police, they said they would hurt me,” Mr Brooker told witnesses after the crash.
Three other teens allegedly involved have been charged and are yet to face court.
In sentencing, Judge Paul Smith said Dine’s offending was part of a crime spree and involved a vulnerable man and a pack mentality.
Judge Smith sentenced Dines to five years in prison with a parole eligibility date of June 1, next year.
The 286 days Dine has already spent in custody was considered time already served.
Dine gave one of his supporters a kiss on the cheek before being taken back to the watchhouse.