By ANEEKA SIMONIS
AN ICE user who threatened to get his “bikie” mates to kill the man who bought him a car and opened up his home to him, his partner and child, will spend almost two years behind bars for a string of violent crimes in the outer south-east, according to sentencing documents made public last week.
Matthew Gersbeck, 26, faced a number of charges including making threats to kill, unlawful assault, possession of a controlled weapon, aggravated burglary and criminal damage offences during his day in court late last year.
He was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment, fined $3500 and handed a community corrections order for his offending spanning back to late 2013.
The County Court of Victoria heard Gersbeck walked into Bunyip Police Station in November 2013, admitting he wanted to kill the man he lived with over a car dispute.
The court earlier heard the car was bought for Gersbeck by the man who housed him, his de facto partner and child for two years.
Gersbeck had failed to pay the man for the car before leaving his home.
The man later sold the car.
The hearing heard that Gersbeck became aggressive when he returned with two other men, pushed the man to the ground and demanded he give the car back.
Gersbeck then went to Bunyip Police Station and told an officer: “I’ve tried to do this the right way, now I’m going to do it my way.
“I’m going to get some bikie mates and Les is f*****. I’ll take back what’s mine and when he winds up dead, it will be your fault.”
The court heard he was chased by police who arrested him and found a knife in his possession.
He then failed to appear in court over the charges.
Months later, he and an unknown man attempted to steal alcohol from two bottle shops.
On the first occasion, a worker took the bottle of vodka from Gersbeck and on the second occasion at Foodworks in Bunyip the bottle of vodka he had hidden in his tracksuit pants slipped and smashed on the floor.
Instead, he and the man grabbed an energy drink and fled.
Gersbeck again failed to attend court over the charges which included a family violence contravention.
The court heard Gersbeck and his half-brother made their way into a Bunyip home in August 2014 and physically assaulted a man inside the home.
The court heard the victim, whose wallet was also taken, did not know either man before the attack which left him half naked and bloodied.
The man was admitted to Warragul Hospital’s Emergency Department as a result of his injuries.
Gersbeck plead guilty to all charges against him included in two separate indictment and two separate related summary charges on 26 November last year.
The court heard Gersbeck was unemployed and expecting his second child during the recent sentencing.
He was being treated for his ice addiction in 2014 after being hooked when he was a teenager.
Gersbeck was sentenced to 22 months in jail with a 16-month non-parole period in addition to fines and a two-year community corrections order.
Sentencing details were made available on Monday 11 January.
