Rodney Jackson-Searle, Ziggy Sumner-Cooper and Shane Wilson jailed for terrifying home invasion

Three young children had to watch their parents being terrorised by four men in a terrifying home invasion, where their father was slashed with a machete.

A father will never be able to walk properly again after his three young children had to watch him be attacked with a machete in a sickening home invasion.

Rodney James Jackson-Searle, 30, Ziggy Lee Sumner-Cooper, 33, and Shane Edward David Wilson, 33, targeted the home to steal an expensive car they saw posted on Facebook.

During sentencing on Friday, the District Court heard Todd Finlay-Smith and his partner Kaleena Oldenampsen were at their Salisbury North home on June 28, 2021.

Their three children, aged seven, five and three were also home.

The court heard the trio and an unknown fourth offender ripped the front security door off its hinges and kicked in the front door shortly before midnight.

Rodney Jackson-Searle was jailed for serious criminal trespass and assault causing harm. Photo: Facebook

The men who were all wearing balaclavas were each armed with a weapon, including machetes, a pole and the fourth intruder was believed to have been holding a firearm.

Mr Finlay-Smith was asleep on the couch in the loungeroom when he was struck to the back of the head with a pole by one of the intruders.

“Another intruder struck Finlay-Smith with a machete to the lower leg a number of times, causing a deep wound,” Judge Paul Muscat said.

The court heard Mr Finlay-Smith sustained a 15cm laceration to his left shin, which almost tore his anterior muscles and chipped the bone itself.

One of the men demanded Mr Finlay-Smith’s car keys

The court heard the trio then drove off in Ms Oldenampsen’s Commodore, while the fourth intruder drove off in the car used to drive to the home invasion. He is yet to be apprehended.

The trio were tracked from the house and caught hiding near where they abandoned the stolen car.

The trio pleaded guilty to serious criminal trespass, theft and causing serious harm with intent, with Sumner-Cooper admitting in court he was the one who attacked Mr Finlay-Smith with the machete.

Judge Muscat said it was clear the home invasion was pre-planned to steal Mr Finlay-Smith’s Holden ClubSport, worth over $100,000, after he posted photos of it on Facebook.

Mr Finlay-Smith said in his victim impact statement that he now lives with post traumatic stress disorder, physical pain and paranoia over home security.

“He will never fully be able to walk properly again … he described the feeling of knowing that he would not be able to kick a football with his children,” Judge Muscat said.

The court heard the trio all had traumatic upbringings and began abusing drugs and alcohol before turning to crime.

“None of you were ever given any opportunity at life,” Judge Muscat said.

Judge Muscat said the machete attack on Mr Finlay-Smith was “vicious in the extreme” and the couple’s children had to watch them being terrorised.

“There can be absolutely no doubt that you subjected Finlay-Smith, Oldenampsen and their three young children to a most terrifying ordeal that will live with them for the rest of their lives,” he said.

“People deserve to be protected from such outrageous offending as this in the safety of their own home.”

Judge Muscat sentenced Wilson, who was previously jailed for brutally attacking a father and his teenage daughter in another home invasion, to nine years jail, with a non-parole period of seven years and three months.
Sumner-Cooper was jailed for eight years and four months, with a non-parole period of five years and six months.

Jackson-Searle, who had the least criminal history out of the trio, was sentenced to seven years jail, with a non-parole period of three years and nine months.

The sentence was backdated to June 29, 2021.