A former bikie associate was jailed on Tuesday following a dispute about missing drugs in which a man was taped to a chair and waterboarded.
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On April 8, 2017, a man thought to have been involved in stealing a Coke can of drugs at a house party was driven to Barry Avery's Canberra home.
The man was led inside, where Avery, 36, instructed one of his colleagues to strap the victim to a chair. He then interrogated the victim about the location of the "gear".
Every time the victim denied knowledge of the drugs' location, he was punched by various members of the group.
Avery picked up a pair of scissors and pressed the blade into the victim's neck, piercing the skin. He punched the man again, and he lost consciousness.
When the victim woke up, he was sat in the chair again. At one point, an unknown person put a towel over the man's face and poured water over it, the court has heard.
"First thing in the morning you are going to rock up here with the papers to your car, you are going to sign it over to me. You owe me three grand on top of that," Avery told the victim.
The victim was released after about three hours. Police later searched the home, where they found 101 MDMA tablets and 154.6 grams of cannabis.
Avery pleaded guilty in the ACT Supreme Court to unlawful confinement, trafficking in a controlled drug, blackmail, unlawful possession of stolen property, and possessing cannabis.
"This was, no doubt, a terrifying experience for the victim," Justice Michael Elkaim said before sentencing Avery on Tuesday.
"Extreme violence was used, including implements like scissors and elements of torture such as the placing of the towel over the victim's head. At one stage, the victim feared for his life."
Justice Elkaim said it was of "particular concern" that Avery had been associated with a bikie gang. But the judge said he hoped what the man had said about dissociating himself from the group was true.
"The offender has taken full responsibility for his crimes and acknowledges the suffering he inflicted on the victim. He has not sought to justify his actions," he said.
Justice Elkaim sentenced Avery to 16 months imprisonment, setting a non-parole period of 12 months.
The sentence was backdated to account for time Avery had already spent in custody. He will be eligible for release in May.
