A VIGILANTE who robbed and bashed a Coleraine pedophile has received a suspended jail sentence.
Gregory Afif, 44, of Preston, pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool County Court to burglary, intentionally causing injury, false imprisonment and robbery.
He was jailed for two years and nine months but that sentence was suspended for three years.
The complainant, Douglas Povey, indecently assaulted a teenager Afif knew in February 2013.
Povey was charged with the offending and in May 2014 received a nine-month jail sentence which was suspended for two years on three charges of committing an indecent act in the presence of a child aged under 16 years.
In August the same year Povey was jailed for six years, with a minimum four years to serve, after pleading guilty to 10 sex offence charges.
He has now been charged with another 10 offences.
Afif's co-accused is Noel Middlebrook. They were friends who lived near each other in Melbourne.
Phone records show they were in regular contact leading up to an incident.
On August 12, 2013, Povey, then 67, was at his Coleriane home.
About 9.30pm Afif and Middlebrook entered Povey's home, assaulted him and stole various items.
They smashed in the rear door with a redgum post to gain entry to the house.
Povey was in bed with the lights off. When he heard a noise he got up to investigate and was confronted by the two men.
They yelled at Povey, telling him to get down and stay on the floor.
One of the men called Povey by his first name and he offered them his wallet and ute.
They took his wallet which contained $500 and his Bendigo Bank debit card as well as numerous other items after ransacking the home.
Povey told them his PIN and they threatened to break his legs "not once but twice" if it was the wrong number.
The men then wrapped Povey's hands, eyes and mouth with electrical tape.
He was then punched and kicked around his legs and head.
Before leaving one of the men checked that Povey could still breathe.
Afif and Middlebrook then used the bank card to withdraw $1000 from an ATM in Coleraine.
Three further withdrawal attempts were unsuccessful in Ballarat and Bayswater.
Povey was able to free his hands, crawled to his kitchen and cut off the tape with a knife.
He suffered minor injuries, was hospitalised and then placed in aged care.
A doctor noted that Povey struggled with psychological trauma after the assault, suffering flashbacks and anxiety.
Police obtained security camera footage from the ATMs where Povey's card was used and identified the offender and Middlebrook's wife's car, a Holden Astra.
Telephone intercepts revealed Afif and Middlebrook talking about disposing of the car, their arrests and how police could "prove it".
When interviewed Afif denied the offences and said he wouldn't have taken Povey's keys.
Details about the keys being stolen had not been put to him and had not been released to the media.
He also lied and said he had no knowledge about the Holden Astra.
Middlebrook was also arrested, made a no comment interview, failed to appear in court and a warrant has been issued for his arrest,
Afif had no prior convictions before Wednesday's court plea hearing.
