A murderer who broke into a stranger’s home in Sydney’s southwest after hearing a Tinder date showed him “a large wad of cash” has been sentenced to decades in prison. Joseph Nehme was sentenced in the NSW Supreme Court today after being found guilty of murdering Luke Lembryk, 29, during an attempted home invasion in Condell Park in 2019. “This is a great outcome for our family and one we have waited a long time for,” Luke’s brother Jake Lembryk said outside court.
Luke Lembrick, 29, was allegedly killed by two intruders during a home invasion. (9News) “I know this isn’t going to bring him back, but it’s a step towards healing.” Nim is the last of four people to be sentenced for Luke’s murder. Two co-accused, Bilal Rahim and Lisa Price, were jailed for manslaughter. The home invasion was planned when Price mentioned seeing “bundles of cash” on a Tinder date with Luke in December 2019. Wiretapped calls played in court recorded Nim calling Taufihouma for backup. “That girl, a girl told me a week ago she was in a house there.. look, $50,000,” Nim can be heard saying. “You want to make money, I have a job, let’s go.” “Where to?” Taufihouma asked. “Condell Park,” Nim replied.
Lisa Anne Price was previously convicted of manslaughter over the death of Luke Lembryk. (Nikki Short)The two men were in the house for less than two minutes and stabbed Luke five times, including once in the heart. Luke’s mother was also attacked and watched her 29-year-old son die from his injuries. She died of cancer a few months later. “It’s hard to think about the pain she went through in her last few months,” Jake said today. Luke’s last words were: “I’m dying, they stabbed me.” The judge said this indicated two people were present when Luke was attacked, despite Nehme’s claims he entered the house after the murder. The judge ruled on a balance of probabilities that his accomplice had caused the stabbings, but said Nehme was “the leader of the operation”. He was sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison, with a non-parole period of 15 years. The Lembryk family will face the loss of Luke. “He was a great character and it’s hard to lose him,” Jake said.