Jail for man who threatened mechanic with a sex toy

A man who used a large rubber sex toy to threaten a mechanic from whom he'd been demanding money has been told by a sentencing judge to "settle down" and stop offending. Aaron Sabbah, 42, of Sydney, Australia, was on Tuesday sentenced to a maximum of 12 months' jail, more than three years after he entered the mechanic's workshop with a 45cm black dildo in the company of two "stocky" men.

Judge John North said there was little doubt the tradesman, who had already handed over $4,500 in an attempt to placate Sabbah, thought he was going to be assaulted. "On the CCTV .. the offender can be seen to be carrying a large black dildo in his right hand, which he is swinging as he walks in," Judge John North said during his sentencing at Downing Centre District Court. "The offender said (to the mechanic), 'come into the office'."



The court heard Sabbah had a misguided belief the mechanic, who cannot be named for legal reasons, owed him money and had made threats via phone, texts, the instant messaging app Viber, and in person to cause him serious harm. The court heard Sabbah, a muscular former personal trainer, had a "bee in his bonnet" when his Mercedes-Benz, worth more than $167,000 and which he'd previously stolen back after it was repossessed, was seized by police while it was being driven by the mechanic.

He previously told court he'd asked the mechanic, who cannot be named for legal reasons, not to use the car. The court heard Sabbah had a criminal history dating back to 1991 and had previously spent time in jail. In sentencing him, Judge North took into account Sabbah's guilty pleas and the fact that his financially dependent partner was due to give birth in August. He backdated the sentence and ordered Sabbah be eligible for recognisance release after seven months in prison, meaning he could be with his partner around the time the child is born. "It's time he gave up offending and settled down," Judge North said.