The Perth District Court has sentenced a 26-year-old man to six and half years imprisonment over his role in two violent assaults that occurred in Gosnells earlier this year.
On Friday the court heard that Tyler Dean Borinelli had lured gay men to construction site via the dating app Scruff. Both men were attacked by Borinelli and his associates.
One of the victims suffered a fractured skull and broken jaw, while the other also had serious injuries.
Borinelli faced multiple charges including counts of intent to harm and causing bodily harm, stealing, possession of cannabis and methylamphetamine, alongside being in possession of a large amount of money believed to be unlawfully obtained. He pleaded guilty to all charges.
Prosecutor Daniel Harrop told the court that both incidents were hate crimes that deliberately targeted members of the gay community.
Borelli’s lawyer denied he had deliberately targeted gay men, saying his actions were fueled by his drug addiction and he had wanted to target pedophiles because two women in his life had been sexually abused as children.
The prosecutor highlighted that Borelli had portrayed himself as being above the legal age of consent when interacting with the men online and both of the cases he cited involved women and had no connection to gay men.
The judge described his actions as “premeditated thuggery”.
“This was not a misguided crusade. This was premeditated thuggery carried out against people who were placed in vulnerable positions. And it was something that occurred when you determined that these people were going to be isolated in such a way that they had no recourse and no safety,” said Chief Judge Julie Wager.
In sentencing Borinelli to a period of imprisonment the judge also took into account an earlier conviction that had been given a suspended sentence. The 26-year-old has been held in custody since his arrest in April.
The cases of the two men who separately accompanied him to the crimes are yet to be heard by the court.
OIP Staff
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