One man was sentenced to 18 months in jail and another walked free from court after beating a teen lured to a park using a phony Facebook account.
The district court in Brisbane, Australia, heard Tyrone Drew, 19, set up a phony Twitter account under the guise of a woman named Krystal Smith. Drew used the account to befriend a 17-year-old male. To humiliate the teen, “Smith” invited the victim to a restaurant but never showed up.
Later, Drew lured his victim to a park. When the teen arrived—after traveling more than three hours on public transport—he was beaten by Drew and Kylie Crans, 22, until he was unconscious.
He was beaten so severely, there was a shoe imprint left on his shoulder. The teen was hospitalized for several days, sustaining cuts and bruises.
The prosecutor told the court Crans and Drew were drinking with friends when Drew asked the others if they wanted to “help him kick some fella’s head in.”
Drew was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment with immediate parole. He also received a three-month sentence, to run concurrently, for stealing the victim’s phone.
Crans was also sentenced to 18 months in jail for one count of assault. Parole was set for August.
A third man, Tamati Roboni Raukawa, who apparently “took the lead in the assault,” will be sentenced at a later time.
Illustration by Fernando Alfonso III