Thurgoona man guilty also of intimidation, but his co-accused threatened woman

The woman, 21, spent time in a spa bath at the Lavington home Matthew Robinson shared at the time with another man, who had booked her through the Centrefolds agency.

But when she began to feel ill and cold after about an hour, Albury Local Court has heard, she left the property and returned to her Drome Street, East Albury, employer.

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It was then, magistrate Sally McLaughlin was told, that Robinson "realised" that $15,000 in cash hidden under a cushion on a sofa in the Nagle Road home was missing.

Robinson immediately suspected the escort worker. He and the other man, along with a second woman from the escort agency, caught a taxi to Drome Street to retrieve their money.

It was after they arrived, on August 27 about 3.20am, that Robinson committed an act of intimidation, to which he pleaded guilty.

But the court accepted that while he was charged with the offence, it was the other man who delivered the threats.

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This second man, it was outlined in agreed facts submitted by Director of Public Prosecutions representative Angus Webb, intimidated the woman while running towards her outside the escort agency.

"Give us our money," he yelled. "Where's our money? Give us back our $15,000."

"I didn't take it," the woman replied, before opening the door to her room and inviting he and Robinson inside.

"Where's the money?" the other man asked again. "We know you stole it, we'll get you and your family."

Robinson pleaded guilty also to a charge of not complying with a noticed direction regarding COVID-19.

"The community in Albury," Ms McLaughlin said, "has been able to reduce the number of people infected during the pandemic due to the lock-down."

That was why this charge was just as serious as the intimidation, she said.

The noticed direction breach was committed through Robinson and the other man organising for the victim and the second woman to visit their home.

Ms McLaughlin said there appeared to have been "a real change" in Robinson's life for the better since he committed the offences.

Robinson was fined $1400 over the breach and placed on a 12-month conditional release for the intimidation, with conviction.

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