Two men hired to break into their client’s house, menace him with machetes, tie him up, then tickle him with a broom, have been acquitted of armed break-in after hitting the wrong address. The unsuspecting victim awoke to find the men looming over his bed armed with the knives.
The role play was arranged over Facebook by a man near Griffith, New South Wales, who provided his address to the hired pair.
“He was willing to pay A$5,000 if it was ‘really good’,” the judge said. However, the client moved to another address 50km (30 miles) away without updating the two men. They then entered a home on the street of the original address. … When they realised their error, one of the pair said “Sorry, mate” and shook the resident’s hand, according to local reports.
Could happen to anyone.