An African-Australian male model is facing jail after his life descended into crime and violence just as he seemed to have the fashion world at his size ten feet.
Anei Dut was ranked third on a list of ‘South Sudan’s 10 most handsome men alive’ by a news website in 2021 but this year his most prominent appearances have been in court.
The 27-year-old recently admitted to ripping off a string of Chemist Warehouse stores across Sydney and is awaiting sentence for those frauds.
Last week he was defending an allegation of assault occasioning actual bodily harm after pleading guilty to assaulting his former partner Jahnaya Capablanca.
Anei Dut was ranked third on a list of ‘South Sudan’s 10 most handsome men alive’ by a news website in 2021 but this year his most prominent appearances have been before a magistrate. He is pictured outside Sydney’s Waverley Local Court on Thursday
Anei Dut has pleaded guilty to ripping off a string of Chemist Warehouse stores across Sydney and is awaiting sentence for those frauds. He has also pleaded guilty to assaulting his former partner Jahnaya Capablanca (above)
The mother of his two-year-old daughter is studying for a Bachelor of Fashion Business and is a freelance stylist and photographer.
Dut is accused of throwing a beer at Jahnaya then bashing her godfather so badly when he came to her aid he was left with scarring on his forehead.
At the time Dut and Jahnaya were sharing an apartment at Randwick in Sydney’s east with their six-month-old girl. Today he is living with his mother at Plumpton near Mount Druitt in the city’s north-west.
Dut, whose family fled war-torn South Sudan when he was three, came to Australia in 2003 after spending years as refugees in Egypt.
‘Basically my family wanted to get a better life for us,’ he once said.
In his teens Dut worked part-time at Pizza Hut, as a store manager at Foot Locker and for General Pants as a sales assistant.
Dut, whose family fled war-torn South Sudan when he was three, came to Australia for a better life in 2003 after spending years as refugees in Egypt. ‘Basically my family wanted to get a better life for us,’ he once said
Dut is accused of throwing a beer at his former partner Jahnaya Capablanca (above) then bashing her godfather so badly when he came to her aid he was left with permanent scarring on his forehead
He played basketball and rugby while completing his HSC at the Catholic boys school St Stanislaus’ College in Bathurst in the New South Wales Central West.
Dut was scouted while hanging out with friends at a hotel in Sydney and by 2016 was signed with the prestigious Chadwick Models agency.
The 191cm (6’3″) tall clotheshorse went on to strut the catwalk for some of the world’s biggest fashion labels including Tommy Hilfiger, Jack London, Calibre and the local Camilla and Marc.
Four years ago he was dating fellow South Sudanese-born model Adut Akech with whom he shared a runway for the 2018 David Jones season launch.
Akech, whose family fled South Sudan when she was six and settled in Adelaide, has since gone on to appear in the US, British, French, Italian and Australian editions of Vogue.
When Dut assaulted his then partner they were sharing an apartment at Randwick in Sydney’s east with their then infant girl. Today he is living with his mother at Plumpton near Mount Druitt in the city’s north-west. Dut is pictured on Thursday
Dut was scouted while hanging out with friends at a hotel in Sydney and by 2016 was signed with the prestigious Chadwick Models agency. He went on to strut the catwalk for Tommy Hilfiger, Jack London, Calibre and Camilla and Marc
She has done campaigns for Yves Sain Laurent and Valentino and walked for Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Tom Ford, Calvin Klein, Versace and Prada.
Dut’s career did not hit those heights and is unlikely to recover. He could soon find himself going from gracing runways to pacing a prison yard.
Dut was convicted of assault in 2013 and had his licence suspended in 2016 and 2020 for drink driving and getting behind the wheel with a suspended permit.
He is currently serving an intensive corrections order for contravening a restraining order and will be sentenced for the Chemist Warehouse frauds next month.
The maximum sentence for the assaulting occasioning actual bodily harm he is facing is five years in jail.
Police were called to Dut’s apartment at 10.10pm on November 28, 2020 after a Triple Zero call reporting two men fighting in the street.
Jahnaya Capablanca is studying for a Bachelor of Fashion Business and is a freelance stylist and photographer. She is pictured outside Waverley Local Court with a friend
Police were called to the Randwick apartment Dut shared with Jahnaya Capablanca (above) at 10.10pm on November 28, 2020 after reports of men fighting on the street
Officers found Dut with his shirt ripped open and dreadlocked Olivier Duverge bleeding profusely from a wound to his forehead. Also outside the unit were Jahnaya and her mother Chantal Capablanca.
Mr Duverge, who described Ms Capablanca as his best friend and Jahnaya as like his niece or goddaughter, told Waverely Local Court on Thursday how he came to be at the address.
He and Ms Capablanca had just ordered food from a restaurant at World Square in the city when she took a phone call from daughter, who was in distress.
‘We got to go,’ Chantal allegedly told Mr Duverge. ‘Anei just threw a bottle at Jahnaya.’
The pair got into a taxi and drove to Prince Street, Randwick where they intended picking up Jahnaya and her daughter but were met by Dut instead.
‘Get the f*** out of my house,’ Dut told them, according to Mr Duverge. ‘This is my house.’
Dut is accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm after allegedly bashing Olivier Duverge (left) outside his Randwick apartment. Mr Duverge describes himself as Jahnaya Capablanca’s godfather or uncle
Mr Duverge said after a further exchange of words Dut pushed Ms Capablanca with open palms to her chest then leapt towards him and began throwing punches.
According to Mr Duverge, he fell to the ground and Dut – who he had met but did not consider a friend – repeatedly punched him in the face.
Under cross-examination by Dut’s lawyer Sylvie Houston, 39-yaer-old Mr Duverge denied throwing the first punch, saying ‘come out and fight’, or having tried to force his way into the unit.
He agreed he had told police who found him bloodied at the scene, ‘I think I’m gonna kill this n***er’.
Ms Capablanca said she and Mr Duverge had gone to Randwick to get her daughter and granddaughter out of the unit but Dut had begun swearing at them.
‘He was riled up that we were there,’ the 43-year-old told the court.
Dut (above) is accused of repeatedly punching Olivier Duverge in the head after Mr Duverge was told the model had thrown a beer bottle at Jahnaya Capablanca, who he considered his goddaughter or niece
At that point Ms Capablanca was still unsure if Dut had thrown a beer or a bottle at her daughter.
‘I was asking, “Why would you do that to Jahnaya”,’ she said. ‘It felt like it went from zero to a 100 quite quick,’ Ms Capablanca said.
‘I was saying, “I’m not leaving without the girls”. I’m familiar with Anei and I know when he’s happy and I know when he’s angry.
‘It’s not the first time where she’s called me upset because he’s thrown her belongings out of the house or they’re fighting.’
Ms Capablanca said Dut punched Mr Duverge to the ground and she fell on top of her friend. Dut then continued punching Mr Duverge.
‘All I recall is one moment we’re standing there exchanging a few words and the next minute we’re on the floor.’
Jahnaya Capablanca’s mother Chantal said she had gone to Randwick to get her daughter and granddaughter out of the unit but Dut had begun swearing at them. Jahnaya is pictured
Dut, who told police Mr Duverge initiated the fight, is yet to give evidence. He will step into the witness box when the hearing resumes in December.
But by then he could already be in some for of custody for the fraud offences.
Dut has admitted to stealing credit card details from 19 individuals after buying their personal information from a website and going a spending spree at various Chemist Warehouse franchises.
In March 2021, Dut scammed the pharmacy chain by visiting several stores and buying bulk items by manually entering the details of the stolen credit cards.
He would later return the goods and request a refund be sent to his personal Westpac account.
Once Chemist Warehouse and customers from financial institutions Caixa, JP Morgan, Capital One and OCBC Bank became aware of the con, an investigation was launched by NSW Police.
Investigators quickly identified Dut on CCTV, and he was arrested.
Dut has admitted to stealing credit card details from 19 individuals after buying their person information from a website and going a spending spree at various Chemist Warehouse franchises
When police seized Dut’s mobile phone he had a tab open for a website called ‘CCVstore.net’ which sells credit card numbers along with their expiry dates and CVV numbers.
The open tab included an online shopping basket containing stolen credit card details used by Dut.
Newtown Local Court heard Dut also shared six of the 19 credit card numbers with a third party via text.
He has admitted to 14 counts of dealing with identity information to commit an indictable offence, six counts of dishonestly obtaining financial benefit by deception and one of possessing identity information to commit an indictable offence.
When Dut appeared before a magistrate in June the case was adjourned after his lawyer sought an updated sentencing report and to ‘explain to Mr Dut what is at stake.’
Dut is due to be sentenced on September 22 when it will be determined if he is suitable for home detention.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia outside court in June, Dut said he was remorseful for defrauding Chemist Warehouse and had already reimbursed the stolen funds.
‘I paid them back already,’ he said, before jumping into an Uber. ‘I have apologised.’
Six years ago Dut told Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper he had hoped to inspire other Sudanese-born Australians
‘That is my dream,’ then then 21-year-old said when asked if he wanted to be a role model.
‘I want to basically tell them I started at the bottom and I picked my life up and I continued on. You can do good things and make it work.’
Six years ago Dut told Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper he had hoped to inspire other Sudanese-born Australians ‘That is my dream,’ then then 21-year-old said
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk