The drug-buy gone wrong occurred about 2am on April 14. 

Andrew David Dwyer, 32, of Larralea, and Christopher Fortescue, 25, of Garvoc, pleaded guilty in Warrnambool Magistrates Court to intentionally causing injury and attempted robbery. 

Fortescue was convicted and fined $8000.

Dwyer, who has a significant criminal history and was on a community corrections at the time of the offending, was sentenced to three months’ jail. 

He was also placed on a 12-month community corrections order, which will commence upon his release. 

The pair were two of four men involved in the incident. Two other men will appear in court in January.

On April 13 Dwyer drove to Fortescue’s home and asked him to contact the victim and organise a drug deal so that the victim could be assaulted and robbed. 

Fortescue complied and told the victim that he wanted to meet in Garvoc as he had $1500 to buy ice. The victim had no transport so requested a second victim drive him.

Fortescue drove his white Toyota Tarago van to a public toilet at Garvoc. He approached the victim’s car, and spoke to him through the front passenger window. 

During the conversation, one of the co-accused approached the victim’s car and smashed the rear driver’s side window. The victim was told to get out of the car.

Fortescue then went back to his vehicle and drove home.

The victim was hit with a metal pipe across his arm, knee and face, causing his lip to split and his teeth to become loose. 

He was then forced out of the car and onto his knees where a gun was held to his head. He was told he was going to die and forced to hand over his wallet.

The second victim jumped out of the car and attempted to run to a nearby house but was tackled to the ground. He was stabbed in the back with an unknown object and his fingers were sliced open, requiring stitches. 

Fortescue was arrested on April 16. He told police that he knew nothing about the firearms and believed the victim was going to be assaulted and his drugs and money stolen.

Dwyer was arrested following a search warrant at a property in Terang’s Grey Street on April 20.

Magistrate Dan Muling said Dwyer and Fortescue were instrumental in setting up the offending, but noted that they weren’t involved in the serious assaults.

He said the pair were reckless and lacked foresight. 

“You may not have anticipated how the situation would unfold but you were key players in the set up,” he said. 

“This was calculated and planned. It wasn’t a spur of the moment thing.”