Some of the most bizarre SA court cases in 2023 so far

Bikie rings posted on auction sites, assaults over Akubra hats and a grandmother dealing meth. These some of the cases that had judges scratching their heads this year.

From a career criminal who said he planned to gift a gun to an elderly lady to a woman who stole a pensioner’s car before falsely claiming he wanted sex, there have certainly been some bizarre crimes committed in South Australia so far this year.
The Advertiser has compiled a list of weird and wacky court cases that we’ve covered so far in 2023.

Robert Andrews

A career criminal who planned to swap a gun for meth decided to tell police where he had hidden it after seeing a gun amnesty ad, a court heard.

Robert Murray Andrews, 52, was jailed after his excuse that he planned to gift the gun to an elderly lady in exchange for accommodation fell flat with a Judge.

During sentencing, the District Court heard police attended Glenelg Highway Glenburnie, a Covid patrol site, to investigate Andrews having failed to stop at the border check point on September 12, 2021.

Andrews spoke with a corrections officer in the prison on December 16, 2021, advising him that he needed to tell police about a gun in his car.

“It was not loaded and you were driving to Mount Gambier to swap or sell it for methamphetamine,” Judge Joanne Tracey said during sentencing.

Andrews, of Mount Gambier, pleaded guilty to the possession of a prescribed firearm without a licence.

“Your counsel tells me that his instructions from you are that you were in possession of the firearm as it had been given to you as a gift and you proposed to give it to an elderly woman with whom you were hoping to secure accommodation,” Judge Tracey said.

“Far more likely, in my view, is what you told corrections when you were taken into custody.”

Judge Tracey sentenced Andrews to two years and 10 months jail, with a non-parole period of 21 months.

The sentence was backdated to October 26.

The gun found in Robert Andrews' car. Photo: Courts SA

Matthew Northcott and Brayden Mudge

Matthew Northcott. Picture: Facebook

Brayden Mudge. Picture: Facebook

A duo who escalated a scuffle between their girlfriends and a man over an Akubra hat were sentenced for their violent attack.

Matthew Andrew Northcott, 29, and Brayden Scott Mudge, 27, left the victim with black eyes and a fractured cheekbone during the vicious home invasion.

During sentencing, the District Court heard Mudge and Northcott attended the Renmark Club with their girlfriends, Ms Mitchell and Ms Doevendans on October 3, 2020.

“Your group was approached by the victim, who began mouthing off, saying derogatory things about Ms Mitchell,” Judge Anthony Allen said during sentencing.

The court heard the two women were upset at the victim’s behaviour and decided to walk to his home, followed by Mudge and Northcott.

“When he (the victim) went to open the door they (the women) barged inside, demanding to know where Mr Mudge’s hat was,” Judge Allen said.

“This stems from Mr Mudge loaning the victim an Akubra hat a number of months earlier.”

The victim, who was the ex-boyfriend of Ms Mitchell, told the women to leave, otherwise he would call police.

“Ms Mitchell snatched the phone from his hands and then a scuffle broke out over the phone,” Judge Allen said.

After that scuffle, the victim went to shut his front door.

“It was at that time that you, Mr Northcott, forced the door open and tackled the victim to the ground,” Judge Allen said.

Northcott then punched the victim a couple of times to the head and body.

Mudge then entered the house and punched the victim, before both men left.

Northcott, of Renmark, pleaded guilty to serious criminal trespass and causing harm with intent, while Mudge, of Monash, pleaded guilty to serious criminal trespass and assault causing harm.

Northcott was sentenced to three years and four months jail, with a non-parole period of two years.

The sentence was suspended on a $500, two-year good behaviour bond.

Due to Mudge’s lesser role and no criminal history, he was sentenced to a two-year good behaviour bond.

Benjamin Whitehouse

A hypnotherapist who was inspired by a true crime series to make explosive devices could have caused “serious injury” to people if he acted on his sinister plans, a court heard.

Benjamin John Whitehouse, 45, was jailed for over four years after police uncovered the disturbing weapons and documents on how to kill people.

During sentencing, the District Court heard police raided Whitehouse’s One Tree Hill granny flat in December 2019.

They located a sparkler bomb, several containers of sodium hydroxide, instructions on how to make weapons using a 3D printer and a 3D printer.

Police also found a sawn-off air rifle in the boot of his car and a plastic pipe containing ground sparkler material and where a fuse could be inserted.

Whitehouse also had instructions on how to make poison and other means of killing people, as well as castor beans — a component in a type of poison — in his possession.

Whitehouse told police during an interview he developed an interest in explosives after watching the television series, Evil Genius – a true crime story which starts with the death of a pizza man who robs a bank with a bomb around his neck.

Whitehouse pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including possessing explosive devices and possessing instructions to make explosive devices.

Judge Soulio sentenced Whitehouse to four years and two months jail, with a non-parole period of two years and nine months.

The sentence was backdated to October 1, 2020.

Benjamin Whitehouse was jailed for possessing explosive devices. Picture: Courts SA

Wawu Wawu

A young father was jailed after he held down a fellow party guest while his friends violently bashed him to steal his marijuana, a court heard.

Wawu Wawu, 20, was drug-fuelled when he committed the “vicious and cowardly” act, in which the victim thought he was going to die.

During sentencing, the District Court heard Wawu, who had just turned 18, was at a friend’s house in Dover Gardens in July 2021.

The occupant of the house had also invited the victim over for a drink.

“I was told that you and your friends were jealous of the victim and upset that he would not share his alcohol and marijuana with you,” Judge Joana Fuller said.

“You and four of your friends made a plan to assault him and steal his marijuana.”

The court heard the group went into the bedroom, where Wawu held the victim down while he was viciously assaulted by his friends.

The victim suffered a fractured nose, eye socket and bruising and swelling.

Wawu’s friends then took the victim’s car keys and left the bedroom.

The court heard Wawu told the victim he could get his car back if he transferred $500 to him, which the victim did.

The victim found his car around the corner of the property, which was no longer roadworthy.

The Marden father-of-two pleaded guilty to robbery.

Judge Fuller sentenced Wawu to three years and five months jail, with a non-parole period of 22 months.

Ebony Castle

Ebony Kay Castle. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Kelly Barnes

A woman stole a pensioner’s car, reversed into and drove over him with it, and then blamed him for her crime – falsely claiming he wanted sex.

Ebony Kay Castle wept as the District Court granted her extensive “credit” for almost three years spent waiting, in custody and on home detention bail, for sentencing.

Chief Judge Michael Evans noted some of that delay was of Castle’s own making, given her baseless claims about her victim, 74, and push for a home detention sentence.

Castle, 28, pleaded guilty to aggravated counts of theft and recklessly causing serious harm, as well as illegal use of a motor vehicle.

The charges arise from an incident at Days Rd on September 28, 2020, when Castle stole her victim’s 2011 Holden Epica after pushing him over in the carpark of a pub.

Following her arrest, Castle told a psychologist she “formed the belief he wanted to have sexual relations” with her – and asked the court to show leniency in sentencing.

Chief Judge Evans said Castle had opened the back door of the victim’s car without warning, threw in her bags and said “drive”.

When the victim got out and tried to remove her, she got into the front seat, reversed over him and then drove back over him to get away.

“Your offending has had a huge impact on him … he has suffered very severe injuries to his ribs, back, right leg and pelvis,” Chief Judge Evans said.

He sentenced Castle to three years and two months’ jail, with a non-parole period of 20 months.

Chief Judge Evans also disqualified Castle from driving for 12 months.

Sheree Hall

Sheree Hall. Photo: Facebook

A grandmother who took over her jailed friend’s drug dealing business also found herself behind bars after she fled interstate.

Sheree Nadine Hall ignored the stern warning from a judge who said if she didn’t change her ways, she’d cycle in and out of jail until she died.

Hall was sentenced in January to home detention after pleading guilty to two counts of drug trafficking.

The District Court heard Hall removed her home detention bracelet in February and remained at large until April 30.

The court heard Hall’s daughter came to stay with her and needed urgent help in relation to domestic violence matters.

“She wished to travel to Queensland and you did not want her to travel on her own,” Judge Michelle Sutcliffe said.

During sentencing, the court heard Hall, 50, was detected by police after her car hit a tree at Largs Bay on June 17, 2019.

After she was hospitalised, a plastic bag was found inside her bra which contained 8.26g of methamphetamine.

Police then searched a Peterhead property a few days later and found 9.73g of methamphetamine, $1300, two mobile phones, tick lists and digital scales.

“Text messages on one of the mobile phones revealed that you had taken over the use of the phone from a friend of yours, Helen, when she went to jail,” Judge Joana Fuller said.

She was a drug dealer and when she went to jail you took over her business.”

Judge Sutcliffe revoked the home detention order and ordered Hall serve the remaining sentence of three years and one month in jail, with a non-parole period of two years and five months.

Carl Blake

An unemployed former truckie walked into a bank with a knife only to be told to “take a seat” while the police were called.

Carl Steffan Blake pleaded guilty in District Court to the charges of threatening to kill and breaching bail when he contacted his mother on February 13.

The court heard Blake was previously charged with affray when he walked into an unnamed SA bank armed with a knife and “expressed the views to the teller” that he “wanted to rob the bank”.

However the teller instead asked Blake “to be seated”, which he did so patiently, “while the bank ensured its staff were safe and called the police”.

Blake was charged with affray and while on bail for that offence, committed the further charges against his mother.

Judge Simon Stretton said Blake sent threatening text messages to his mother on February 13, saying he was “going to murder (her)”.

“You then rang the police to inform them of that and they attended your property,” Judge Stretton said.

“You said you were feeling agitated and were going to murder them because your mother had got into your head and that you were not feeling right and you were feeling sick.

“You showed the police the text message to your mother which said, ‘I am coming to murder you’.”

Judge Stretton sentenced Blake to a good behaviour bond of three years for the offending and he will be required to perform 300 hours of community service during that time.

Blake will be sentenced for his affray charge, relating to the attempted bank hold up, at a later date.

Thomas O’Connor

Thomas O'Connor. Photo: Facebook

A former Hells Angel relapsed back into drug use after he was threatened by members for selling club jewellery on an auction site.

However in an “extraordinary” twist, Thomas Mortiz O’Connor, 32, was not behind advertising the club rings online, but rather police.

Judge Liesl Kudelka sentenced O’Connor in July last year for discharging a firearm to one year and 10 months, with a non-parole period of eight months.

O’Connor fired bullets into the garage door of a Salisbury North property on November 26, 2020 – which was the wrong house and not the target of his group’s plan.

Judge Kudelka ordered O’Connor serve his sentence on home detention.

The court heard O’Connor had breached the order by returning two positive drug tests in February and one in March, as well as avoiding a drug test on March 31.

The court heard O’Connor started using drugs again to help him stay awake and alert at night after threats were made by Hells Angels members.

“Members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club contacted Mr O’Connor to challenge him for selling a ring belonging to the club via Pickles Auctions,” David Edwardson, KC, for O’Connor, said.

Mr Edwardson said O’Connor’s club rings had been in the custody of police but hadn’t received a response from them for why they had been advertised online, despite numerous attempts.

After making some phone calls, Mark Alessandrindi, for the prosecution, told the court he wasn’t certain how it happened but the rings were being returned.

“They were inadvertently advertised for sale around July or August of last year,” he said.

Mr Edwardson replied that it was “extraordinary” and “beggars belief” that police would put the jewellery on an auction site.

Taking into account the circumstances and six weeks O’Connor had spent in custody, Judge Kudelka excused the breaches and released him to return home to his parents.

Andrew Taylor

Andrew Taylor. Photo: Facebook

A drunk Riverland businessman traumatised police officers after he threatened them with a rifle during an intense stand-off.

Andrew Keith Taylor, 54, was sentenced for his “reckless and self-absorbed” behaviour that left police fearing for their lives.

During sentencing, the District Court heard a couple entered Taylor’s second-hand shop at Glossop on January 21, 2021.

Taylor told them to leave.

“You repeated your direction and lifted up what looked like a firearm,” Judge Liesl Kudelka said.

The homemade gun Taylor used during the stand-off. Photo: Courts SA

“You said to them ‘Ring the cops, I’m ready for a shootout’.”

The couple left the store and called police.

The court heard Constables Fowler and Walters arrived on scene and saw Taylor holding what they thought was a rifle.

Taylor then pointed the firearm at Cst Fowler who took cover behind a police car.

Senior Constable Cusack then arrived and as he got out of the police car he saw Taylor standing outside the store pointing the rifle at him.

Cst Fowler tried to negotiate with Taylor but he pointed the rifle at him, saying “If you come near me I’ll f***ing kill ya”.

Taylor then levelled the rifle at Sergeant Wright after noticing him approaching.

After Csts Cusack and Fowler realised the rifle did not appear to have a bolt fitted they decided it was inoperable and subdued and arrested Taylor.

Taylor pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated assault.

Judge Kudelka sentenced Taylor to two years and four months jail.

Due to the time Taylor had already spent in custody, it meant he was eligible for release.