- Man who stole Kyrgios’ car sentenced to prison
- I was experiencing drug-induced psychosis at the time.
- Kyrgios’ family satisfied with verdict
The convicted killer who held Nick Kyrgios’ mother at gunpoint to steal the tennis ace’s Tesla was experiencing delusional beliefs at the time and hoped to use the car to communicate with billionaire Elon Musk, a court heard.
A 33-year-old Canberra man has been sentenced to more than four years in jail by the ACT Supreme Court for the incident in May 2023.
The terrifying saga began when Nick Kyrgios’ mother, Norlaila, answered a knock on the door of her Canberra home.
Ms Kyrgios was confronted by a man carrying a long-barrelled gun and wearing a black mask over part of his face.
The man forced open the door and demanded the keys to his son’s $125,000 car.
He then forced her to approach the car at gunpoint and demanded that she tell him how to operate the vehicle.
Ms Kyrgios managed to raise the alarm shortly afterwards and the man fled in the bright green Tesla.
Then Wimbledon finalist Nick blasted the triple-zero, all while using the electric car’s special app on his phone to limit the Tesla’s speed to 50 mph and track its movements for police, who eventually caught and charged the offender.
A Canberra man has been sentenced to more than four years in jail for stealing Nick Kyrgios’ Tesla (pictured) in May 2023
The robber, who threatened the tennis ace’s mother (pictured) with a firearm, believed he could communicate with billionaire Elon Musk through the vehicle.
The robber, who has a long criminal record and has served time for reckless driving causing death, apologised in court for the trauma he had caused.
The judge revealed that the man believed at the time of the robbery that he could use the Tesla to contact billionaire Elon Musk to discuss microchips and vaccines.
The offender, who was suffering from drug-induced psychosis at the time, applied to be sentenced to a drug and alcohol treatment order but the judge ruled the man’s actions warranted a longer sentence.
Kyrgios’ sister, Halimah Kyrgios, told reporters outside the court that her family was “pleased with the decision.”
Nick Kyrgios’ family has expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision (Kyrgios is pictured with his girlfriend Costen Hatzi)
“However, it cannot give us back the peace that man stole from us,” he said.
‘We do not wish the trauma we have suffered on anyone and we hope this will serve as a catalyst for the courts to be less lenient.
“We’ve always learned to forgive, but I think that, personally, and just for the safety of the community, this was handled in the right way.”
The offender will be eligible for release in March 2026.
