by Cam Lucadou-Wells
An ice-fueled ex-Springvale man has been jailed after he lured, entrapped and stabbed a random Uber driver in his home garage.
Father of five Amaka Pennoh, 30, pleaded guilty at the Victorian County Court to intentionally causing serious injury.
He later said he’d been taking ice and grieving his father’s recent death but provided no explanation for what he called a “dishonourable act”.
In sentencing on 14 May, judge Michael Cahill described the pre-planned two-minute attack on the then-30-year-old victim in the late morning of 21 May 2024 as “cold-blooded”.
Pennoh was on bail and a community correction order at the time.
He had falsely told police that he acted in self-defence after the driver attacked him with knives, despite the full assault being captured on his home’s internal CCTV.
In the aftermath, he rang his fiancée, claiming he was a victim of a home invasion, as well as his lawyers and then a home-security business seeking log-in details for his CCTV.
Earlier that day, Pennoh had ordered an Uber to his Clyde home under a false name and using his girlfriend’s phone.
As part of his “ruse”, he claimed he was unable to bend and lift due to surgery, requesting the driver to carry two large suitcases from upstairs.
Hiding a large chopping knife inside his jacket, Pennoh then requested the driver to grab a case from a car boot in the garage.
He kept the roller-door closed and had the driver trapped between two cars before he punctured the victim’s neck several times with the knife.
“I have a family,” the driver pleaded.
Pennoh replied: “I’m doing this for my family” and grabbed the victim’s throat.
During the struggle, the victim thought he’d die.
He suffered “significant and protracted” stab wounds to the back of his neck, abdomen and a severed nerve and artery on his left thumb.
After pushing Pennoh into the roller-door, the victim escaped and knocked on neighbours’ doors for help before nearly fainting with a large loss of blood.
He laid on the ground about 50 metres away, as a witness performed first aid.
After surgery and rehab, it was uncertain if the victim’s thumb would completely recover.
The victim was later diagnosed with major depression and acute stress, which could potentially lead to PTSD.
Pennoh’s criminal history included driving, dishonesty and two convictions for unlawful assault.
He was diagnosed with complex PTSD stemming from childhood trauma, including seeing intruders kill his mother in their home in Liberia.
He’d also suffered abuse after settling with his remaining family in Springvale.
Judge Cahill also noted Pennoh’s early guilty plea, his remorse including a lengthy written apology and his enthusiasm for vocational and rehabilitative programs in remand.
A jail term was the only appropriate sentence given the seriousness of the crime, the judge stated.
Supporting his “good” rehabilitation prospects through parole was also an important factor.
Pennoh was jailed for up to five years, and eligible for parole after three years. His term includes 358 days already served in pre-sentence detention.
