Oxenford robbery: Two men who tied up terrified female workers in a violent armed robbery at Thai massage parlour on the Gold Coast are jailed
A New Zealander has admitted planning a violent robbery at a massage parlor and tying up two employees during the terrifying incident.
James Garner Daniel and Damien Charles Kleidon pleaded guilty to a series of offenses relating to the burglary of a Thai massage parlor in Oxenford, on the Gold Coast, on July 1 last year.
Daniel, 39, a New Zealand citizen, and Kleidon, 36, were sentenced in the Southport District Court on Wednesday after each pleaded guilty to one charge of armed robbery in company, attempted robbery in company and two charges of deprivation of liberty.
Daniel also pleaded guilty to theft, malicious damage and unlawful entry.
The court heard the pair tried to enter the massage parlor but were confronted by two female staff.
Armed with a fake gun, Daniel ordered the women to hand over money and their phones Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
Two men have been convicted of the violent armed robbery of a Thai massage parlor in Oxenford on the Gold Coast last July. In the photo the police are on the scene
CCTV footage from the massage parlor showed the two men fleeing the scene after the robbery
“If you don’t do what we say, I’ll shoot you,” Daniel told the women.
The court heard an employee gave Daniel $300 in cash before taking her handbag when she refused to hand over her phone.
The other worker gave the men her phone, but she had no money as she tried to hide her car keys.
The court heard Kleidon had seen a CCTV camera which he ‘disabled’
Daniel then pointed the fake gun at the women and ordered them to put their hands behind their backs.
He then used cable ties to tie their hands before leading the women to a massage room from which they were not allowed to leave.
Two female Thai massage parlor staff had their hands tied behind their backs with cable ties during the terrifying ordeal. In the photo you see the police at the crime scene
The court heard Daniel managed to find car keys belonging to one of the women at a bank and demanded she give him the PIN code to unlock her phone.
He destroyed the phone and searched her car after she refused to give him the code.
The two women managed to escape the room before Daniel and Kleidon fled the scene in a white hatchback.
Police arrived on the scene a short time later and arrested the two men for three days.
The court heard Daniel admitted to committing the crime when questioned by police, saying he got the idea to rob the massage parlor after drinking heavily.
He told police he needed money and that he and Kleidon were living in his car.
Damien Charles Kleidon (pictured) and his co-accused James Garner Daniel pleaded guilty to a series of offences
Kleidon told police he went along with Daniel’s plan to rob the salon “just to make sure nothing bad happened.”
The court also heard that Daniel turned to drugs and alcohol after the death of his son and then his mother, who died a week before the robbery.
Daniel was sentenced to five years behind bars, but could be eligible for parole in May 2025.
Kleidon was sentenced to three years in prison, but was released on parole within weeks.