A man who carjacked an Uber driver in Lyndhurst and then drove himself to NSW to “get away from drugs” has been jailed.
Bradley William Nicoll, 24, of Cranbourne, was found guilty by a Victorian County Court jury of carjacking and robbery. He also pleaded guilty to driving while suspended.
Reportedly high on drugs, Nicoll ordered an Uber ride in Seaford in the early hours of Saturday 20 November 2021.
Seated in the back seat, Nicoll asked the driver if he could drive the car and was refused each time.
At Thompsons Road Lyndhurst, he requested a toilet stop.
The driver turned around and thought he saw a silver gun at his shoulder and pointed at him.
“You really need to get out of the vehicle or I’ll shoot you in the head,” Nicoll said.
He told the fleeing driver to leave their phone dashboard holder.
An hour later, the victim tracked his phone – and his car – travelling along Hume Freeway to NSW.
Along the way, Nicoll had reached a speed of 150km/h through the Domain Tunnel.
Police intercepted the Uber car near Leppington, NSW later that morning. A silver folding knife as well as the victim’s phone were found.
Nicoll was subsequently jailed for three months in NSW for a display of reckless driving.
In sentencing on 17 August, Judge George Georgiou noted that a jury found Nicoll not guilty of more serious charges of aggravated carjacking and aggravated robbery.
This was due to not being satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that he had a gun.
Judge Georgiou said Nicoll nonetheless threatened to shoot the victim who was a “soft target” in a “relatively isolated location”.
“I have no doubt that (the driver) was terrified.”
The victim stated he’d felt “emotionally cut off”, “joyless”, “hurt” and “angry since the incident.
It had impacted his relationships and he suffered “significant economic loss” due to the carjacking, the judge said.
On the night of the carjacking, Nicoll was only a few days into a community corrections order – which he had “blatantly disregarded”. He was reportedly using cannabis, meth and ecstasy with a friend before he ordered the Uber.
“You told (a psychologist) you did not know what came over you, and you could not explain why you told the Uber driver to get out of the car or you would shoot him in the head.
“You said you then drove to NSW to ‘get away a bit … get away from drugs’.”
Nicoll’s “unfortunate history of drug abuse” started in his early teens. He’d been treated for psychosis due to his ‘polysubstance’ use.
Drug abuse had largely fueled his past and current criminal offending, including violence in his parent’s home.
He’d been largely abstinent during a 15-month youth parole order in 2019, when he was living and working with his parents and playing local football.
However, Nicoll relapsed after his own vehicle was written off in a car accident, which prevented him from working.
“You should understand … that committing offences under the influence of illicit drugs provides no excuse whatsoever for your conduct,” Judge Georgiou said.
Nicoll’s rehabilitation prospects were deemed “no better than guarded” – though still young and with his family’s support.
Nicoll was jailed for up to three years and three months, including a 23-month non-parole period.
He was disqualified from driving for the minimum 12 months.
“I consider it important for your rehabilitation that you be able to work upon your release from prison,” Judge Georgiou said.
