The post Pair Found Guilty of Attack on Canberra Couple Over Gambling Debt appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News.
Couple attacked
A man has been found guilty of a brutal attack on a Canberra couple over a mistaken attempt to recover a gambling debt.
aggravated burglary and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm
Ziantao Shang, 38, was found guilty of aggravated burglary and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm along with his accomplice Wengao Zheng, 46, who pleaded guilty.
The pair were attempting to track down a former client who they claimed owed AU$125,000 ($81,228), but when a different person answered the door, the duo subjected the couple to a severe assault.
Violent assault
Shang and Zheng had been attempting to track down a woman known by both a Chinese name and her English name of Linda.
The pair claimed that Linda had owed the six-figure sum in gambling debts and had failed to return any calls.
Some sleuthing work, aided by the woman’s former lover, led the men to track her down to a Canberra apartment, where she was alleged to be offering sexual services.
“Using a third person as a proxy to avoid alerting the woman of their identities, the two men made an appointment with the person they thought was their debtor,” Judge Vertity McWilliam stated. “However, when they arrived at the Belconnen apartment, a different woman opened the door. This case is about what happened next.”
The property was being used to offer massage services from a spare room, by a different couple. When the female victim opened the door, she was asked about Linda but did not know who the men were referring to.
The two pushed the woman against a wall before commencing the assault on the couple
After refusing to leave, the two pushed the woman against a wall before commencing the assault on the couple. The man had dialled the emergency services, but was unable to explain the situation in English to the operator, who was able to hear the attack over the phone.
The victims also stated that a woman named Linda had stayed at the apartment two days before the assault, but they did not know her Chinese name and did not figure out that the woman was who the men were looking for until the attack was over.
Pair found guilty
The two victims suffered cuts, bruises and a fractured nose after being kicked and punched several times throughout the ordeal. Zheng also claimed to be ex-special forces during the assault, which he later admitted in court was a lie intended to intimidate the couple.
While Zheng pleaded guilty, Shand pleaded not guilty, with his barrister James Maher arguing that a fight had been initiated by the other parties, meaning Shang acting in self-defence.
Zheng also claimed that the female victim had attacked Shang with a meat cleaver during the attack, evidence that was rejected by the judge.
Shang will remain on bail and face sentencing in September.
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