Norlalia Kyrgios, the mother of tennis star Nick Kyrgios, was allegedly held at gunpoint by a man with a shotgun. The criminal is accused of stealing her son’s luxury green Tesla.
Extraordinary details have emerged in court of how the Greek-Australian helped cops track down the man accused of stealing the car, which is valued at about $191,000.
According to ACT Police, a 32-year-old Canberra man wearing dark clothing threatened Norlalia with a long-barrel gun and demanded she hand over the keys to her son’s car at about 8.30am on Monday. The court was told that the man asked her to how to drive the car before driving off.
Court documents viewed by NCA NewsWire reveal Ms Kyrgios was then able to alert her son of the man before he called 000. The tennis star was allegedly able to track his car and impose a speed limit to it via an app on his mobile phone. This allowed police to safely follow the stolen car.
Police said they engaged in a “short pursuit” with the man, which was abandoned due to safety concerns for other road users.
The man was caught after police cordoned off a street in Ainslie, and he was arrested at about 9.05am.
Ms Kygrios told police interviewers she was fearful that the man would return and “blow a hole in the door”.
Police allege the man first provided a false name to police, before they were able to identify him. Documents also revealed the man allegedly sustained injuries while trying to escape police, which required medical attention.
The man faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning where he was charged with aggravated robbery, failing to stop a motor vehicle for police, driving while suspended, driving a motor vehicle without consent and obstruct/resist public officials.
He was denied bail and will return to court at a later date.
Kyrgios is very close with his mother, sharing his love for her on her birthday last year.
“I know I haven’t always been the easiest to deal with and I know I’ve stressed you out,” the star wrote.
“I just want you to know that I don’t know anyone stronger than you.”
In February of this year, Kygrios issued an apology after having his assault charge dismissed after admitting to shoving his ex-girlfriend during a night out. The world no. 20 was spared a conviction after pleading guilty to common assault during an argument with Chiara Passari more than two years ago.
Magistrate Beth Campbell rejected Kyrgios’s bid to have his assault charge thrown out on mental health grounds but ultimately dismissed his case, saying it didn’t warrant a conviction.
Ms Campbell told the court she would deal with Kyrgios’s case in the same way she would that of any other young man who was charged with a “low level assault”, irrespective of his fame for being someone who “happens to hit a tennis ball particularly well”.
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