West Ryde pokie machine horror as punter is stabbed for his $2700 win by a jealous gambler who’d just lost thousands in the Sydney pub
West Ryde slot machine horror as gambler is stabbed for his $2700 winnings by jealous gambler who had just lost thousands at Sydney pub
Chilling video shows the moment a man is slashed with a knife and then stabbed in the chest for his $2,700 winnings while playing the slots in a Sydney hotel.
Jonathon Antonios Habib, 23, pleaded guilty to assault with intent to rob armed with an offensive weapon in Downing Center District Court on Friday.
Habib had been drinking and gambling on the poker machines at Ryedales Tavern in West Ryde in the north-west of the city on August 15, 2022, the court heard.
After gradually losing about $2,000, Habib saw another man sitting nearby as they won a $2,700 payout after putting only $100 into one of the poker machines.
Habib left the game room, but returned half an hour later armed with a steak knife and attempted to rob the man, resulting in a 90-second scuffle that left the victim with multiple injuries.
The 90-second attack in the games room of Rydales Tavern in Sydney’s northwest left an adolescent with cuts to his arm and a stab wound to his chest
CCTV footage shows the moment a gambler is stabbed for his $2,700 winnings at a Sydney pub
The man was facing the poker machine when Habib came up behind him, tapped him on the arm and ordered him to “withdraw your money,” reports the Hills Shire times.
The video shows Habib, wearing a hi-vis sweater, grabbing hold of the man and wildly swinging the knife, cutting his sweater, as the victim tries to get up from his stool.
Habib repeated “I want all your money” to the bar patron before stabbing him in the left side of his chest, the court heard.
The man, who was in immediate pain, then walks forward in an attempt to leave the room, but Habib who turned and ran after stabbing him turns back and can be seen shoving him back into a glass window .
The pair then fought again, causing a cut on Habib’s own hand, before fleeing when the man called for bystanders to alert police.
The victim suffered lacerations to his upper arm and a small stab wound to his chest.
Johnathon Habib then turned and ran after stabbing the man in the chest as other teenagers watched in shock
But when the man tried to leave, he turned and pushed his victim back into a glass window
The court heard that Habib was drinking heavily the night of the attack and had persistent alcohol, drug and untreated mental health problems.
He had also recently developed a gambling problem particularly with regard to poker machines and claimed that his behavior was partly due to his alcohol and drug use and partly due to the ‘influence of his social circle’.
Judge Georgia Turner said the attack was “severe and prolonged” but admitted his behavior was likely influenced by his alcohol and drug abuse and his mental health.
Habib called his actions “horrific” and said he felt “so much grief” not only for the victim, but also for his family and for those who witnessed his attack.
Judge Turner noted his remorse and that he had the support of his family, but that his rehabilitation would depend on his ability to remain alcohol and drug free.
He was sentenced to three years and three months in prison and is eligible for parole after one year and 11 months.