A man who helped rob a creep who sent their friend a picture of his penis has admitted he pulled a gun on him.
On Tuesday, Christopher Tolj pleaded guilty to one charge of armed robbery over the terrifying incident, which netted him and his mates $10 and an iPhone 8 – the latter of which was dumped.
The 27 year old faces anywhere up to 25 years behind bars for the attack, of which he is accused of being the ringleader.
Christopher Tolj took offence to a creep who sent inappropriate photos to a female friend. He allegedly settled the matter with a rifle
Christopher Tolj pleaded guilty to a charge of armed robbery after his mate ratted on him for a sweet plea deal
An unsolicited photo of a man’s penis sent via a dating app allegedly sparked a dramatic late-night ambush involving a gun and a garden stake. Chris Tolj (centre) has pleaded guilty to armed robbery
Tolj was scheduled to contest the allegations in a preliminary hearing in Geelong before announcing he would plead up to the charge.
In reality, the disability worker had little choice after a co-accused turned prosecution witness last month.
Shaun Baensch, 26, was sentenced to 15 months in jail, with a non-parole period of nine months for his role in the frightening attack.
Four people were arrested in relation to the bizarre incident, which took place on May 3, just outside of the Victorian city of Geelong.
At Baensch’s sentence, it was revealed Tolj, Baensch and Danielle Misiti, 31, were all charged with armed robbery over the incident, which included a gun and a garden stake.
While Misiti escaped conviction after pleading guilty to lesser charges, Baensch was jailed after pleading guilty to armed robbery.
He appeared in the County Court of Victoria where Judge Justin Hannebery praised him for co-operating before jailing him.
The court had heard the victim was hardly an upstanding citizen himself.
‘He’s not your normal innocent person you see walking down the street,’ Baensch’s barrister Jane Warren had argued at the time.
The alleged victim sent the X-rated meet-up request via the location-based dating app Skout
Christopher Tolj is accused of robbing a creep of $10 and his phone after he took offence to a photo he sent a female friend
The court had heard the alleged victim had offered Misiti the chance to come around to his place for a ‘puff session’.
He had messaged her through the dating app Skout.
Accompanied with his offer of doing drugs was a photograph of his penis.
Furious at the sexual proposition, the group arranged to meet the man at his home before agreeing to catch up at the Ocean Grove Hotel car park.
It was about 4.45am when Tolj and Baensch arrived and ‘hid in the shadows’ until the Skout-user showed up.
Misiti had called the man to lure him to the ambush.
The court heard the pair leapt out, with Tolj allegedly brandishing a long-arm rifle and Baensch a garden stake.
Police allege Tolj said: ‘Do you like creeping out girls online, do you? I’ll f*****g shoot you. Do you think I’m going to give a f**K?’
The court heard the man was marched to his home at gunpoint where an iPhone 8 and $10 cash was stolen.
Christopher Tolj faces a jail stint after pleading guilty to armed robbery
Christopher Tolj had been expected to contest the allegations he pulled a gun on a creep, but changed his mind after a mate agreed to testify against him
The phone was later dumped by the group.
Baensch – a Geelong painter – was arrested and interviewed by police on May 13.
The court had heard that Tolj stood a decent chance of convincing a jury he was innocent without his mate’s evidence.
Baensch agreed to give evidence against him at his upcoming trial in exchange for a lighter sentence.
His barrister told Judge Hannebery her client now lived in fear that it would get out that he was a prosecution witness.
She told the court Baensch had already been paid a visit by two associates of Tolj, whom she claimed tried to persuade him to change his statement to police.
‘He will live with that constant anxiety of people finding out that he is a prosecution witness, that he is a dog and that’s something that in my submission will weigh quite heavily on him,’ Ms Warren said.
Tolj remains free in the community on bail for now.
Like his former mate, he will be sentenced in October in the County Court of Victoria by Judge Hannebery.
