Halimah Kyrgios speaks to the media outside the ACT Courts on Tuesday after the robber was sentenced for stealing her brother’s Tesla. Photo: Supplied.
The man who killed a university student before going on to steal Nick Kyrgios’ Tesla years later has been handed a jail sentence for his recent robbery, although the tennis star’s family says this outcome “cannot bring back the peace” he stole from them.
The robber, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stole the vehicle from Nick’s mother, Norlaila Kyrgios, last year after threatening her at gunpoint.
On Tuesday (2 July), the ACT Supreme Court sentenced the 33-year-old to four-and-a-half years’ jail after he pleaded guilty to charges that included aggravated robbery.
Speaking to the media after the sentencing, Norlaila’s daughter, Halimah Kyrgios, said her family was pleased with the decision.
“However, it cannot bring back the peace that the man stole from us,” she said.
“We don’t wish the trauma that we have suffered on anyone and hope this serves as a catalyst for the courts to be less lenient on the offenders who, though they say they have learned from their mistakes, keep making the same promises again and again without either the punishment or the treatment that they deserve and need.”
Halimah also said the sentence was “a little bit of a relief” and that her family needed some time to process what had happened.
“We’ve always learned to forgive. But I think, personally, just for the safety of the community, I think that this was dealt with the right way,” she said.
On the morning of 1 May 2023, the robber had taken a long-barrelled gun and wore a mask when he knocked on Norlaila’s front door and said, “It’s Chris”, when she called out to ask who it was.
When she started to open the door, he forced the rest of it open with the gun and demanded the keys to her son’s lime-green Tesla, which was parked nearby.
He pointed the weapon at Norlaila and told her to show him how to drive the car, which had been bought for $125,000.
She was escorted outside at gunpoint, but when the robber got into the Tesla and no longer kept the gun trained on her, she ran and screamed for help.
While the robber took off in the vehicle, Nick, who had been inside the home and was woken by his mother’s screams, used the Tesla app on his phone to track his car and lower its speed limit.
Police found the Tesla, but the robber sped away from them and let them on a chase through Canberra. Nick monitored his car’s movements and helped police track it before officers blocked its path in Ainslie and pulled the robber from the vehicle.
Acting Justice Rebecca Christensen SC accepted the highly-planned robbery was “abhorrent” and said the use of the gun was serious as it was pointed at Norlaila for a sustained period, describing it as “a particularly frightening weapon”.
She also said the police chase involved “brazen conduct” by the robber, who was suspended from driving at the time, and it only ended due to police intervention.
The acting justice also spoke about the statements from the victims in the case, noting Norlaila’s statement had been “bravely” read to the courtroom by Halimah last month.
The robber had abused drugs since he was young, and a psychologist thought he had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and a drug-induced psychosis at the time of the robbery.
He had been experiencing delusions and thought he could communicate with Tesla CEO Elon Musk through a Tesla.
Nick Kyrgios stands next to his lime-green Tesla, which was stolen in a robbery. Photo: Instagram.
On 30 July 2005, the then-14-year-old was driving a stolen car when he struck Clea Kathleen Rose on Mort Street in Civic during a police chase.
The 21-year-old university student died from her injuries about 20 days later. He was arrested and went on to serve time in prison over her death on a charge of culpable driving causing death.
Region is legally unable to name him as he was a juvenile when he killed Ms Rose.
The robber, who has been in custody since his arrest, asked Acting Justice Christensen to sentence him to a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Order. This rehabilitative sentencing option allows an offender to serve their sentence in the community.
However, he was not eligible as the maximum sentence allowed under such an order is four years’ jail.
He was convicted and handed a non-parole period of two years and 11 months’ jail. He is eligible to be released from March 2026.
Loading ...
Capital Retro, secularisation of democracy was not at the behest of churches. They all have that… View