Sensitive new details have been aired in court about the widow of one of Melbourne's most notorious gangland figures, who has managed to avoid jail time for blackmailing a reality TV producer.
WARNING: This story contains language some readers may find offensive.
Key points:
- Roberta Williams has received a two-year community-based order after pleading guilty to blackmailing and recklessly injuring Ryan Naumenko
- The court heard she believed she'd been scammed by the reality TV producer
- The court heard Williams "learned to fight" during her tough early life
Roberta Williams, 53, today appeared in the County Court of Victoria where she was sentenced to a two-year community-based order after pleading guilty to blackmailing and recklessly injuring her victim at Collingwood more than three years ago.
Ryan Naumenko was lured to a video production studio where he was tied to a chair and bashed over the course of about three hours.
The court heard that during the beating, Williams, whose underworld husband Carl Williams was murdered more than a decade ago, yelled "kill the c***, he has no money".
Court documents reveal that Williams later told Mr Naumenko that he was lucky she had not killed his mother and children.
Her accomplice, Jake Sexton, who was charged with intentionally causing injury, was also sentenced to a two-year community-based order and will have to complete 150 hours of unpaid work in addition to drug rehabilitation programs.
Another co-accused, Hassam Al Zwainy, who the court heard was there out of "blind loyalty" was given a one-year community-based order, fined $800 and was ordered to complete 60 hours of unpaid work. He did not participate in the assault.
Tough life taught Williams to 'fight early and hard'
In sentencing, Judge Fiona Todd told the court that after Williams' father burned to death in a car accident, she was physically and mentally abused by her mother's new boyfriends.
"Your mother pushed you out of home and onto the street," the judge said.
"You lived by your wits, sleeping on trains and at the beach. You learned to fight."
The court heard that her first husband was violent.
When that relationship ended, she became involved with Carl Williams, a key player in Melbourne's gangland war who was bashed to death in Barwon Prison with the stem of an exercise bike.
"You had the task of identifying his body at the coronial facility," Judge Todd said.
"Whatever else can be said about that relationship, it seems that for you, this was the first person who'd been kind to you."
In May 2019, Mr Naumenko contacted Williams on Instagram and pitched a reality TV program which would focus on her life in the style of the American TV show Mob Wives.
Mr Naumenko told the gangland widow that he had raised $50,000 and that he had interest from streaming giant Netflix.
The court heard that at one point, Williams developed cold feet and tried to pull out of the arrangement before being persuaded by her victim to stay.
In July 2019, an Airbnb was hired in Hampton for the group to begin filming but things quickly turned sour.
The court heard that the day after the filming, Mr Naumenko began dodging payment requests from Daniel De Silva, the owner of the video production company hired to edit the footage.
Court documents reveal that Williams and De Silva then formed the belief that Mr Naumenko had scammed them and planned to lure him to the production company's Collingwood studios.
"If one of the boys give him an open hand slap and push him to get your money it's no big deal," Williams wrote in a Whatsapp message to De Silva.
De Silva, who ultimately received an 18-month community-based order, agreed and wrote back that Mr Naumenko would be "having a stroke" when he saw "the boys".
The court heard that William then recruited James Harrison, who is currently waiting to be sentenced.
Harrison then contacted Sexton, who then recruited Al Zwainy.
When Mr Naumenko arrived at the studios, the group had a toast before De Silva departed from the ruse.
"You're f***ed, it's all over now," the court heard he said.
"I want money now, Roberta wants money now, otherwise you're f***ed."
Court documents reveal that when Mr Naumenko offered to organised money, he was rebuffed.
"It's too late, you're dead," De Silva said.
Mr Naumenko suffered bruising and cuts across his head because of the bashing.
After the incident, Williams sent a message to Sexton and thanked him.
Today, Judge Fiona Todd described the incident as "terrifying and traumatic".
"You agreed to participate in a frightening confrontation of Mr Naumenko. Although you did not physically assault Mr Naumenko, you are complicit in that assault," the judge said about Williams.
"You ought to have walked away when you first had the instinct to.
"Instead, you continued to pursue this forlorn project and then to recruit others to assist you in the equally forlorn project of extracting money."
The County Court heard Williams was last in court about 15 years ago for driving offences.
"While you're no stranger to the courts because of your associations, your own criminal history is limited and what there is, is stale," Judge Todd said.
The court heard that while Williams had some "troublesome traits", she also had the "tendency to extend help to others in distress".
"When you were very young, it seems you learned to fight early and hard. This instinct now comes into conflict with your other more positive traits of loyalty to and affection for your children," the judge said.
Williams, whose hands were bandaged because of recent hand surgery, was accompanied in court by her daughter, Dhakota Williams.
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2022-08-26 05:09:40Z
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