In Tasmania, a man was jailed for attacking a teenager with a chainsaw
The Tasmanian Supreme Court in Bernie sentenced 32-year-old Wayne Michael Ladby to prison for assaulting a 17-year-old teenager in 2023. The man pleaded guilty to two counts of assault. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison, 10 months of which were suspended for two years, according to ABC News Australia.
The incident occurred on September 12, 2023, in Strahan on Tasmania’s west coast. As the court heard, Ladby believed the teenager was stealing items from a shipping container on his property. Upon seeing the boy, the man assumed he was wearing work boots stolen from the container, after which he texted his wife that he would wait for him and “get him.”
About half an hour later, Ladby intercepted the teenager on the street, began beating him, and tried to force him into his car. The convicted man’s younger brother, Brady Ladby, joined in the attack and helped drag the victim into the car. Wayne Ladby then drove the teenager to his property. Brady Ladby had previously been sentenced for playing a lesser role in the attack.
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According to court records, once at the Ladby property, the brothers tied the victim’s hands and feet with belts and plastic ties. Wayne Ladby started the chainsaw, revved the engine, and pressed the stationary chain against the teenager’s neck. He then struck the victim on the arms and head with a piece of wood and sprayed him with water from a hose.
After that, the teenager was locked in a shipping container, which was secured with a chain and a padlock. Ladby, who had the boy’s phone, called his father and demanded that he return the boy’s belongings, threatening that he would never see his son again. Shortly thereafter, Brady Ladby released the teenager, returned his phone, and told him to go home.
The teenager was taken to the hospital with minor physical injuries. Judge Tamara Jago stated that the psychological harm was significant and that the victim had undoubtedly suffered deep trauma. According to her, Ladby showed no remorse or awareness of the gravity of his actions; the judge described the attack as a premeditated act of violence motivated by revenge.
