Upper Spencer Gulf criminals who appeared in court so far in 2022
From violent home invasions to sickening child predators, these are the Upper Spencer Gulf offenders who have fronted court for their crimes in 2022.
Upper Spencer Gulf
Don't miss out on the headlines from Upper Spencer Gulf. Followed categories will be added to My News.
From terrifying home invasions to child sex predators jailed for sickening assaults, these are the Upper Spencer Gulf offenders who have fronted court so far in 2022.
Timothy Lydeamore
A man who bashed his friend’s neighbour and struck his victim’s dog with a hammer has been given a chance by the court to show he’s turned his life around.
Timothy Scott Lydeamore, 36, committed his bizarre home invasion under the false belief that his dog was in danger.
The Adelaide District Court in April heard Lydeamore was visiting a friend in Port Pirie on June 27, 2020.
The victim – who lived across the road from Lydeamore’s friend – awoke to hear yelling in the street.
Lydeamore entered the victim’s yard with his dog.
“Whilst the victim attempted to keep you out, you smashed panels on the door and managed to force entry into the house,” Judge Ian Press said during sentencing.
Once inside, Lydeamore pushed the victim, jumped on him and punched him.
“As this was occurring your dog and the victim’s dog were fighting. You then picked up a hammer and struck the victim’s dog,” Judge Press said.
“When the victim told you to stop you threatened to hit him with the hammer.”
The Port Pirie father pleaded guilty to trespassing and assault.
Judge Press sentenced Lydeamore to one year and five months jail, with a non-parole period of 11 months.
The sentence was suspended on a three-year good behaviour bond, with supervision for two years.
Stuart Campman
A man who punched his prison cellmate over stolen butter started using methamphetamine after his relationship went downhill.
Stuart William Campman, 35, was jailed for his “cowardly” attack, which left his victim requiring surgery.
The Adelaide District Court in April heard Campman and the victim were cellmates in Port Augusta Prison.
“After initially getting on together, the defendant became increasingly aggressive, regularly asking the victim to fight him,” Judge Paul Cuthbertson said during sentencing.
The victim began fearing for his safety and requested a change of cells on March 10 2020.
“While the victim was in his new cell the defendant entered and closed the door behind him,” Judge Cuthbertson said.
“He began arguing with the victim, claiming that the victim had taken his butter.”
Campman then punched the victim about 10 times, causing a right orbital face blowout fracture and a four centimetre laceration across the victim’s forehead.
The victim was hospitalised and required surgery on the eye socket fracture and stitches.
The Risdon Park father pleaded guilty to causing harm with intent.
Judge Cuthbertson sentenced Campman to one year and three months jail, with a non-parole period of 10 months.
“The present offence was a cowardly one, made worse by the fact that the victim was trapped and under detention and unable to keep away from the defendant,” he said.
The sentence was backdated to October 4.
Dylan Pedler
A father came close to missing the birth of his second child after feeling a “rush of blood” during a spontaneous assault and home invasion.
The Adelaide District Court heard Dylan Pedler, 29, and two other men attended a Whyalla Playford property on April 5, 2020.
When the homeowner opened the door, Pedler said “why you causing s**t?”
Pedler then stepped inside the front door and started pushing the victim backwards before punching him.
“You then grabbed (the victim) by his shirt with both hands and shook him a few times,”
Judge Paul Slattery said during sentencing.
“You then said something to the effect ‘control your b***h, stop causing s**t’.”
The victim tried to usher Pedler out of the house but he jabbed him twice to his cheek.
Pedler, of Whyalla Norrie, pleaded guilty to assault and serious criminal trespass.
Judge Slattery sentenced Pedler to three years and seven months, with a non-parole period of 24 months.
The sentence was suspended on a $1000, three-year good behaviour bond, with supervision for two years
Matthew Chudleigh
An armed arborist had no memory of breaking a man’s nose with the axe handle he was wielding.
Matthew Luke Chudleigh, 28, broke down the door of a stranger’s home and severely injured him during his vicious attack.
The Adelaide Magistrates Court in April heard Chudleigh was released on home detention bail on November 22, 2020 for multiple assault charges.
He chased a person down a Park Holme street the same day he was bailed and the person sought shelter at the victim’s house.
The next day Mr Chudleigh returned and attended the property where the person he chased had sought shelter.
He demanded to know where the victim was hiding the other man.
“You started bashing at the door, suddenly you broke through the door,” Magistrate Simon Smart said during sentencing.
The victim ran through the house and armed himself with an ornamental axe.
“You struck the complainant several times to his face and his body, you took up the axe handle and struck him with it,” Mr Smart said.
The victim suffered bruising and swelling to both eyes, lacerations and a broken nose.
The Whyalla father pleaded guilty to trespassing and assault causing harm.
Mr Smart sentenced Chudleigh to six months jail.
The sentence was suspended on a 12-month, $500 good behaviour bond, after Chudleigh served three months.
It was backdated to March 26.
Brodie Hutchison
A man has dodged jail for tackling his father to the ground and choking him, after hearing his land had been sold.
Brodie Hutchison, 37, tested positive for drugs after the brutal attack on his father, where he threatened to kill him.
The Adelaide District Court in April heard Hutchison, who had been living with his father, was having a dispute with him about a shed and land in Port Pirie he was struggling to make repayments on.
“Your father eventually took over the mortgage repayments,” Judge Ian Press said during sentencing.
Hutchison became very angry when his father told him on March 2 2021 he had sold the land.
“You assaulted your father by tackling him to the ground and choking him with both hands for about 30 to 40 seconds,” Judge Press said.
“As he was gasping, you released your grip voluntarily and stood up.”
Hutchison’s father then went to bed and awoke to find him standing over him with a kitchen knife.
“You threatened to kill him if the property was sold,” Judge Press said.
Hutchison’s father’s neck was sore after the incident and he suffered bruising to his nose, neck and hip.
Hutchison, of Stirling North, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault.
Judge Press sentenced him to four months jail, suspended on a $100, 12-month good behaviour bond, with supervision.
Tianah Wilton
A cleaner did not stop to think of the consequences when she glassed her cousin in an impulsive act, leading to serious injuries, a court has heard.
Tianah Emma Kimberly Wilton, 34, failed to convince a jury she acted in self defence when the night out went horribly awry.
The Adelaide District Court heard the victim was Wilton’s cousin, who she had been drinking with on September 13, 2019 in Copley.
The “very intoxicated” victim became abusive towards Wilton.
“You stood and leant across the table and swung or punched your arm into the side of her face,” Judge Ian Press said during sentencing.
The court heard the schooner glass Wilton had in her hand struck the victim.
“The glass connected with her eye and cheekbone and she began bleeding heavily,” Judge Press said.
The victim was flown to Adelaide for treatment.
She suffered a severe rupture of the left eye and has lost sight in that eye.
The Port Augusta mother was found guilty at trial of causing harm with intent to cause harm and acquitted of the more serious charge of recklessly causing serious harm.
Judge Press sentenced Wilton to two years and seven months’ jail, with a non-parole period of one year and four months.
The sentence was suspended on a $100, two-year good behaviour bond, with supervision.
David Walker
A convicted child predator grappling to get his “temptations” under control has been allowed to live in the Port Augusta community without being subject to special supervision to protect the community.
David Walker, 69, was jailed in 2018 for abusing a 12-year-old boy. It emerged during sentencing that Walker had been volunteering with children both before and after his trial.
His exposure to vulnerable children came to an end only when he was arrested and charged with five counts of breaching bail.
Walker is back before the court for possessing child exploitation material – but District Court Judge Paul Muscat heard the offences predated Walker’s 2018 jailing.
Walker had been on bail for indecent assault offences when police raided his home on July 28, 2017.
However, it was not until August 5, 2020 the computers were forensically examined and July 22, 2021 when Walker was interviewed by police.
Judge Muscat said Walker had admitted to a doctor having the child exploitation material – but police had still not acted.
Judge Muscat sentenced Walker to 18 months in prison, but because of the delays suspended the sentence.
A condition of the suspension was Walker would be placed on a bond preventing him from being around children.
David Werner
A father who bashed a homeowner with a hammer in a “cowardly” attack has had his life “ruined by drugs”, a court has heard.
David Bradley Werner, 27, was on drugs when he committed the violent home invasion to collect a debt that had nothing to do with him.
The Adelaide District Court heard Werner and his co-accused broke into Ben Graham’s Risdon Park South home on February 13, 2021 at 2am.
Mr Graham’s partner, Tenille Devlin was in the dining room when she saw the men walk through the front door.
“One of you told her to get on the ground and she lay on the ground face down,” Judge Joana Fuller said during sentencing.
Mr Graham, who heard Ms Devlin screaming, saw Werner’s co-offender come out of the house armed with a hammer.
A scuffle ensued between them.
“You then hit him over the head with the hammer three times while he was trying to restrain your co-offender,” Judge Fuller said.
The court heard Mr Graham managed to kick the hammer out of Werner’s hand.
Mr Graham was hospitalised and treated for a dislocated shoulder and multiple lacerations to his head, which required stitches.
Werner, of Elizabeth East, pleaded guilty to serious criminal trespass and causing harm with intent to cause harm.
Judge Fuller sentenced Werner to three years and nine months jail, with a non-parole period of one year and 11 months.
The sentence was backdated to October 25, 2021.
Haymish Finlay
A drug dealer who once escaped custody by swimming into the Spencer Gulf is back on the wrong side of the law after he was caught dealing large amounts of marijuana.
Haymish Cavan Lindsay Finlay, 31, will learn next month whether jail awaits him again after he entangled himself in a commercial drug dealing operation.
The Adelaide District Court heard during sentencing submissions in June Finlay’s co-accused was present when police searched a Port Augusta house in September 2020 and found over 3kg of marijuana.
“The police go to the defendant’s house and locate the cannabis over the fence,” the prosecutor said.
The court heard police found over 2kg of marijuana there but accepted some was for personal use.
The marijuana was valued between $2500 to $3000.
The prosecutor said text messages revealed Finlay had been selling larger quantities of marijuana between April to June 2020.
The Port Augusta father pleaded guilty to two counts of commercial drug trafficking.
Finlay will be sentenced next month.
Trevor Hunt
A predator sent disturbing photos to a “14-year-old girl” then viciously attacked his partner’s daughter after being released on bail.
Trevor Aaron Hunt, 45, committed the terrifying assault on the eight-year-old, despite not being allowed to have contact with children.
The Adelaide District Court heard Hunt communicated with someone he believed was a girl on Facebook and Kik in November, 2019.
“In fact, it was an undercover police officer,” Judge Julie McIntyre said during sentencing.
“You sent numerous pornographic images and made several invitations to a person you thought was a 14-year-old to engage in sexual activity.”
Hunt was arrested and released on bail, with conditions to not have communication with anybody under the age of 18.
Despite this, he began living with his partner who had two young children.
The court heard Hunt’s partner’s eight-year-old daughter started crying at Port Augusta West on September 12, 2020.
“You became angry and hit her with a leather belt that had a metal buckle attached,” Judge McIntyre said.
The victim suffered several serious welts on her body as a result of the attack.
Hunt, of Stirling North, pleaded guilty to two counts of communicating with the intention of making a child amenable to sexual activity and assault causing harm.
Judge McIntyre sentenced Hunt to three years and 10 months, with a non-parole period of three years and one month.
The sentence was backdated to December 11, 2020.
Tobias Tymerski
A predator was only thinking of his own happiness when he indecently assaulted a 13-year-old girl in public toilets.
Tobias Luke Tymerski, 21, left a child with recurring nightmares after taking advantage of her vulnerability to meet his own emotional needs.
The Adelaide District Court heard Tymerski had added the victim on Snapchat a few days earlier before he saw her at Port Pirie McDonalds on December 6, 2020.
He sat next to her and put his hand on her thigh.
The victim then went to the Memorial Oval toilets.
“Whilst in the toilet block, you grabbed (the victim) by her waist and moved your hands over her breasts, thighs and buttocks,” Judge Paul Slattery said during sentencing.
Tymerski also kissed the victim and attempted to unbutton her jeans.
The victim who was feeling “immensely uncomfortable” pushed Tymerski away and ran out.
Tymerski, of Whyalla Norrie, pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault.
He breached a two-year good behaviour bond with the offending.
The court heard Tymerski was convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse in February 2020 and received a suspended jail sentence.
Judge Slattery revoked Tymerski’s suspended sentence bond and sentenced him to three years and three months jail, with a non-parole period of one year and eleven months.
The sentence was backdated to December 7, 2020.
Randall Bickley
An attempted rapist told a woman to “just keep still” while he committed his sickening attack, punching her in the face when she tried to struggle.
Randall John Ross Bickley, 21, was persistent during his assault, even telling the victim he thought it was turning her on.
The Adelaide District Court heard Bickley and the victim were associates when he invited her to his house on April 19, 2020.
Bickley, who appeared drunk, told the victim he liked her and tried to kiss her on the lips.
“She pushed you away and told you that she was not interested,” Judge Timothy Heffernan said during sentencing.
Bickley then pushed the victim onto the bed and got on top of her, pinning her down.
He grabbed her hair and squeezed her breast.
Bickley pulled the victim’s pants down and threw her phone out of reach when she tried to grab it.
As the victim continued screaming for Bickley to get off, he told her “just keep still. Whether you like it or not I am going to f*** you”.
“She (the victim) managed to sit up, at which time you punched her with a closed fist to the right side of her face,” Judge Heffernan said.
“This made her feel dizzy and dazed. You continued to try to get her pants down.”
Bickley then moved the victim’s hands towards his penis and told her she wasn’t going home.
“You said that you thought ‘it was turning (her) on’,” Judge Heffernan said.
Bickley, of Whyalla Stuart, had previously pleaded guilty to assault with intent to rape.
Judge Heffernan sentenced Bickley to two years and 11 months jail, with a non-parole period of 11 months.
Dwayne Murphy
A Headspace counsellor who groomed a girl he met while working as a receptionist for the organisation has been jailed for 10 months.
Dwayne Gwydion Murphy, 34, was arrested at the Headspace offices in Port Pirie after his offending came to light.
Judge Paul Slattery said Murphy met the 14-year-old while working in a different state.
He was aware she was homeless and had a troubled background.
Murphy later moved to Port Pirie but stayed in touch with the teenager over the online chat application Discord.
In the early hours of November 27, 2020, the victim sent a photo to a Discord chat group of herself.
Murphy messaged her saying she looked “hot”.
Between 1am and 4am the pair exchanged increasingly sexualised messages which included him saying that he “enjoyed the daddy little girl thing a little”.
“You told the victim you would have sex with her when she turned 18 years of age and that it ‘it might be wise to delete this conversation. If anyone gets hold of this we could get in trouble. That doesn’t delete anything we’ve talked about of course’,” Judge Slattery said.
Murphy was arrested on February 4, 2021 and his phone was seized.
Murphy pleaded guilty to communicating to make a child amenable to sexual activity.
He was sentenced to ten months and 24 days in prison.
More Upper Spencer Gulf criminals here
Terrifying butane torch threat at regional service station
A man who allegedly threatened service station staff with a large butane torch while trying to steal goods from the store has been arrested.
‘When I’m 6, I’ll get a job’: Help us find SA’s cutest kindy kid
Funny remarks, endless questions and personalities shining through – there is a lot to love about this special age. Nominate your adorable kindergarten kid today.