A Supreme Court jury took just an hour and a half to find a Youngtown man guilty of two serious charges relating to his role in a horrific, drug-related bashing in 2018.
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Corey Mitchell Gesler, 28, was found guilty by all 12 jury members of aggravated armed robbery of Alexander Robert Friend in a Waverley unit on January 9-10, 2018.
He was also found guilty of intentionally committing an unlawful act which caused grievous bodily harm. Accusations included punching, kicking, elbowing and hitting Mr Friend, then 47, with a chairleg after a planned attack by four men aimed at stealing cash and drugs.
Gesler arrived late at the Supreme Court as the jury began its deliberations.
The jury appeared not to accept Gesler's claim that he was having a shag in the bathroom of the unit at the time of the assault.
A woman gave evidence in court that she had a romantic involvement with Gesler.
However, the jury also heard evidence that she wrote a diary note in her phone that: "I'm now sitting at a friend's, Corey flogged this poor bloke there is blood everywhere, can't get the blood out of the carpet".
Gesler displayed no emotion as the verdict was handed down but asked if he could get bail.
Justice Robert Pearce, who had reminded Gesler throughout the trial not to be late to court, answered no and remanded him in custody for sentencing on Monday, July 4 at 2pm.
He slowly left the court with a loud bang that coincided with his arrival in the remand area.
During the trial crown prosecutors Tamila Smith and Claire Darvell led evidence that Mr Friend 47 was invited to the Waverly unit occupied by Sammual Clinton Wilmot. Also present was Jake Douglas Herlihy, 18, and a then 17-year-old woman.
Gesler and Clinton Charles Wilson, 25, arrived on a black motorcycle and the four men refined their plan to rob Mr Friend of drugs and cash.
When he arrived Mr Friend pulled out drugs and cash from a supermarket bag and Wilmot punched him to the jaw.
Wilson assisted by holding Mr Friend while Gesler contributed to the horrific injuries inflicted over a period ranging from eight minutes to 15 minutes.
Evidence was heard that Gesler got angry that Mr Friend was screaming from his injuries and called for one of the others to get electrical tape which was wound around his neck.
Towards the end of the attack, Herlihy kicked Mr Friend to the head rendering him unconscious.
The jury heard that the attack got out of hand and that "Corey had gone animal and would not stop".
Mr Friend, suffering life-threatening injuries, was loaded into his own utility. As Wilson was driving towards Waverley Lake he was able to clamber out of the utility falling onto the road.
When police quizzed Mr Friend on the roadside about the attack Mr Friend was able to indicate with four fingers the number of people involved. Wilson and Wilmot pleaded guilty to aggravated armed robbery and committing an unlawful act intended to cause bodily harm and received five years and six-month jail terms.
In 2017, Gesler was jailed for 12 months for three counts of assault arising from a fight at a Launceston nightclub.
There were six common assaults in January 2016 when he was involved in a series of unprovoked attacks by four men against 13 patrons at the Bridport Hotel for which he received 15 months' jail with three months suspended.
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