The crime occurred near Westpac Bank on the corner of Baylis and Morgan streets. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
British national John Shanks, 54, has been handed a four-and-a-half-year jail sentence after being convicted of forcibly taking homeless man Cameron Zabbia against his will in Wagga.
District Court Judge Gordon Lerve also noted that Shanks is likely to be deported after serving his prison time.
The judge stated that the parties did not agree on the facts of the case, as Shanks pleaded not guilty to the offence. In his published judgement, the judge spelled out the facts he said had been proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
According to this judgement, the incident occurred on 28 October 2023 and arose after a dispute about money. Zabbia was homeless and had set up camp near the Westpac Bank on the corner of Baylis and Morgan streets in the Wagga CBD.
Shanks, who was also homeless at the time, and a man named Harold Blight approached Zabbia, stood either side of him and briskly walked him south along Baylis Street towards Edward Street. While the two men were either side of the victim they would from time to time hold the victim’s clothing. This was captured clearly on CCTV footage.
“To my mind it is obvious from the footage that the victim is not willing or even consenting to being with the [Shanks and Blight],” District Court Judge Gordon Lerve said.
Shanks and Blight walked Zabbia down a laneway and into a carpark, where Shanks stabbed Zabbia in the thigh and calf. The wounds were so deep that the bone was palpable.
Crown prosecutors said Zabbia heard the two men say words to the effect of “you’re a dog” and “you’re going to get it”.
After a kidnapping that lasted about 10 minutes, Zabbia made his way to Baylis Street, where a bystander called triple zero. Paramedics arrived at the scene to treat him and he was taken by ambulance to Wagga Wagga Base Hospital.
Shanks pleaded not guilty to the charge of kidnapping in company with the intention to commit a serious indictable offence that resulted in actual bodily harm. After a jury trial, he was convicted in May 2025.
His co-offender, Harold Blight, was sentenced to 14 months’ jail with a non-parole period of 8 months after being convicted of reckless wounding in company in a seperate trial that concluded in August 2024.
“Blight was sentenced in respect of a less serious offence and his criminality is significantly less than this offender,” Judge Lerve wrote in his judgement.
The judge decided that Shanks’ offence, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 25 years, was serious but just below mid-range.
Shanks had moved to Australia with his parents when he was six years old, but never became an Australian citizen.
Judge Lerve noted mitigating factors that reduced his culpability – that he’d had a neglectful and abusive childhood, he’d been an alcoholic since the age of 17 and had been diagnosed with a major depressive disorder.
“My childhood was very neglectful and slightly abusive physically and emotionally. My parents just weren’t there. They didn’t want us basically,” Shanks told a psychologist in a report submitted to court.
The judge also said Zabbia was “a most unimpressive witness” who couldn’t remember many aspects of the night, which is why he relied heavily on CCTV footage. Zabbia, who was in a NSW Correctional Centre at the time of trial, gave evidence via video link.
Shanks was sentenced to four-and-a-half years’ prison, with a non-parole period of three years. Judge Lerve made a finding of “special circumstances” to allow for an extended parole period so Shanks could receive treatment for alcohol abuse and mental health issues.
He will be eligible for release from jail on 19 November 2026.
“He will likely be deported upon serving the non-parole period,” Judge Lerve said.
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