Men brutally bashed father, daughter in case of mistaken identity: District Court

Four masked men who attacked a father and his teenage daughter in the dead of night continued their violent raid even after realising they’d hit the wrong house.

The District Court in Adelaide. Picture: Roger Wyman

A group of masked men broke into a Davoren Park home and brutally attacked a father and his teenage daughter in a horrifying case of mistaken identity, the District Court has heard.

The men detained the victims and continued to threaten them, while ransacking their home, even after realising they had targeted the wrong property, the court was told.

Shane Edward Wilson, 28, of Holden Hill, has pleaded guilty to aggravated serious criminal trespass in a place of residence and two counts of aggravated robbery over the November 2016 home invasion.

Judge Joanne Tracey sentenced Wilson – a serious repeat offender – to four years and six months in jail, with a non-parole period of three years and seven months.

With time already served, he could be freed this month.

The three other men involved in the incident remain unknown.

Judge Tracey said Wilson and three accomplices broke into a Davoren Park home, where a 65-year-old man was asleep in the lounge room and his 15-year-old daughter was in her bedroom, in the middle of the night and attacked.

The father was woken by the sound of the front door being kicked in, the court was told.

“(The group was) wearing disguises and carrying weapons,” Judge Tracey said

(They) were demanding drugs and money, but no doubt soon realised that (they) were at the wrong house.”

Judge Tracey said this did not deter the trio.

“(The male victim’s) daughter was struck to the face (with) the flat side of a machete and threats were made if she did not hand over her phone she could be cut into pieces,” Judge Tracey said.

“(The father) was struck in the leg with a baseball bat and to the face with the flat side of the machete.

“(They) were detained on a couch and stood over and repeatedly threatened whilst their home was ransacked for at last half an hour.”

Judge Tracey said “everything that (the victims) had of value was taken”.

This included two laptop computers, two wallets and a purse, an Xbox, mobile phone and car keys.

Wilson was arrested the following day and was remanded in custody.

In his victim impact statement, the father said the incident had left him fearful and feeling violated.

The court heard Wilson had an extensive criminal history dating back to when he was 10 years old and at 11 years of age he was sent to juvenile detention.

He had an “anti-authoritarian attitude, polydrug abuse problems, alcoholism and gambling addictions,” the court was told.