UPDATE: A Brisbane man has been sentenced for a shocking assault on two strip club dancers, escaping jail time despite his violent behavior. Dumitru Sebastian Erimescu, aged 27, received a 19-month suspended sentence on Tuesday after an incident that occurred on October 15, 2023, following a night out at the Love & Rockets strip club in Fortitude Valley.
The court heard how Erimescu violently attacked the two women after they declined his sexual advances. Judge Nicholas Andreatidis KC condemned the attacks as “appalling and terrible,” expressing disbelief that Erimescu was not facing immediate incarceration. “Do not underestimate just how lucky you are that you are not actually going to prison today,” he stated, urging Erimescu to reconsider his drinking habits.
The violent encounter began when Erimescu offered one of the dancers, a 21-year-old, $2,000 to come home with him. After initially declining, she later agreed, stating she wouldn’t engage in anything beyond her club work. While waiting for an Uber, he transferred her $3,500, believing he had purchased sex.
Crown prosecutor Rebecca Guppy-Coles detailed the harrowing events, saying both women tried to leave but were met with aggression. Erimescu slapped and punched them, pushing one into a wall and grabbing both by their necks. One victim sustained serious injuries, including a fractured eye socket. “It was unprovoked, it was an attack on two vulnerable complainants,” Guppy-Coles said, highlighting the severity of the assaults.
Despite the violent nature of the crimes, Erimescu’s defense argued that the incident was out of character. His lawyer, Matthew Hynes, emphasized that the initial charges of deprivation of liberty and torture were dropped and would not have stood up to scrutiny. Hynes noted that Erimescu had lost his trucking business due to the publicity surrounding the case.
Character references from family and former partners were presented in court, with supporters, including his sister who delayed her wedding to be there, showing solidarity. Erimescu had also prepared an apology letter and offered compensation to the victims, which Judge Andreatidis accepted as part of the sentencing considerations.
Erimescu is now ordered to pay $3,500 in compensation to the victims, a requirement that underscores the court’s recognition of the lasting impact on the survivors.
As this case unfolds, it raises critical questions about the treatment of violence against vulnerable individuals and the responsibilities of those in power to protect them. Observers are now left to ponder the implications of Erimescu’s suspended sentence and what it means for similar cases in the future.
Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.
