Rodney Jackson-Searle, Ziggy Sumner-Cooper and Shane Wilson to be sentenced for terrifying home invasion

A man was viciously attacked with a machete in front of his children when a disguised trio stormed his property.

A man was viciously attacked with a machete in front of his children when a trio stormed a Salisbury North property in the middle of the night.

Rodney James Jackson-Searle, 30, Ziggy Lee Sumner-Cooper, 33, and Shane Edward David Wilson, 33, await their fate after leaving the man with significant injuries.

Izelcan Ozturk, for the prosecution, told the District Court the crimes committed by the trio in June 2021 were “serious, violent and terrifying”.

“They occurred very late in the night in the comfort of the victims’ home,” she said.

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

Rodney Jackson-Searle pleaded guilty to serious criminal trespass. Photo: Facebook

Sumner-Cooper admitted in court he was the one who attacked Mr Finlay-Smith with the machete.

The trio pleaded guilty to serious criminal trespass, theft and causing serious harm with intent.

Ms Ozturk noted Wilson and Sumner-Cooper had a shocking criminal history, including another home invasion in which Wilson brutally attacked a father and his teenage daughter in a case of mistaken identity.

Judge Paul Muscat said it was hard to imagine a more serious example of a home invasion considering the intruders were armed, disguised and after valuable cars.

Judge Muscat said Mr Finlay-Smith wasn’t even given the chance to hand over his keys before he was viciously attacked.

“The children had to witness what had happened,” he said.

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

Paul Charman, for Sumner-Cooper, agreed with Judge Muscat and acknowledged a lengthy jail term was the only appropriate penalty for his client who was a “serious drug addict”.

“He certainly owns everything he did, he was obviously highly affected by methamphetamine on that occasion but that’s not a reason or excuse,” he said.

Stephen Apps, for Wilson, told the court his client had spent about half his life in custody and couldn’t remember the crime because he was so affected by drugs and alcohol.

The trio will be sentenced next month.