South Australian vigilante crimes sentenced in the last two years
Taking the law into your own hands is seldom a good idea, as these South Australians discovered when the real justice system got its hands on them.
Police & Courts
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They say you should never take the law into your own hands, but in the case of these defendants the need for vengeance was too hard to resist.
From an aspiring lawyer’s home invasion over a drug debt to father-son vigilantes attacking an alleged pervert, these are the revenge crimes committed in the past two years.
Group’s DIY eviction
A landlord and her sons avoided jail for viciously attacking a couple in their home after deciding to confront them over suspicions of inappropriate renting behaviour.
Lee Laraine Burchell, 48, of Murray Bridge, and her sons Aiden Gregory Mullan, 30, of Bordertown, and Jye William Mullan, 25, of Elwomple, took matters into their own hands to try to remove Jessica Applebee and Jock Bleasby from their home.
Darcy Jay Cameron, 29, of Narrogin, and Hakopa Hamahona Tewhata, 28, of Bordertown, were also involved in the home invasion on October 27, 2019.
During sentencing, the District Court heard Burchell was renting out a Salom St, Bordertown property to the couple, who she knew through her sons.
The court heard there had been issues arising from their tenancy, including damage to the walls and cannabis allegedly being grown at the property.
The court heard the four men spent the day playing golf and drinking together before making the “ill-advised” decision to remove the couple from the property.
As Ms Applebee opened the door to a visitor at 10.30pm, Jye ran up and punched the visitor in the mouth.
The court heard Jye then ran inside the house, with the others following.
Jye and Aiden began punching Mr Bleasby, who was in bed, while Ms Applebee tried to pull them away.
Burchell then entered the room and pulled Ms Applebee by the hair to restrain her.
Hakopa and Darcy then entered the room and joined in on the assault.
The group pleaded guilty to serious criminal trespass and a variety of assault charges.
Burchell was sentenced to one year and 10 months jail, with a non-parole period of 10 months.
Jye was sentenced to three years and three months jail, with a non-parole period of 19 months.
Aiden and Tewhata were sentenced to two years and 10 months jail, with a non-parole period of 17 months.
Cameron was sentenced to two years and 10 months jail, with a non-parole period of 20 months.
Judge Schammer suspended each of the group’s sentences on a two-year, $500 good behaviour bond.
Druggie group’s hostage terror
A vigilante group were sentenced after a pregnant woman was detained for 13 hours, bashed and robbed.
Ringleaders Daniel Peter Baker, 34, and Vanessa Renae Brewster, 36, and accomplice Rex Lyall Clough, 34, were jailed after the victim’s mother had to pay a ransom for her daughter’s safe return.
Sharon Anne Clancy, 55, and Nicole Marie Bailie, 29, who pleaded guilty to robbery, avoided jail for their roles in the terrifying ordeal.
During sentencing, the District Court heard the victim’s relationship with Baker soured after he demanded money from her.
When the victim went to Baker’s Elizabeth East house on December 30, 2020, she was led inside by him and Brewster.
Over 13 hours, the victim was assaulted and various threats were made.
The victim was then forced to sign car transfer papers to Baker’s name and her jewellery and phone were also stolen.
Clough arrived at the house and a demand was then made to the victim’s mother to pay $1000 if she ever wanted to see her daughter again.
Baker pleaded guilty to blackmail, assault causing harm and robbery and was sentenced to five years jail, with a non-parole period of two and a half years.
Brewster, who pleaded guilty to assault, robbery and theft, was sentenced to three years and four months jail, with a non-parole period of one year and eight months.
Clough pleaded guilty to blackmail and was sentenced to two years and six months jail, with a non-parole period of one year.
Clancy was sentenced to one year and seven month jail, with a non-parole period of 10 months, while Bailie was sentenced to one year and three months jail, with a non-parole period of eight months.
Both women’s sentences were suspended on a $1000, 18 month good behaviour bond.
Father and son’s vigilante attack on flasher
Two men dodged jail after they bashed a man in a vigilante attack, leaving him with serious injuries, because he allegedly exposed himself in public.
Fuelled by rage, Trevor James Lindsay, 34, and his father Michael Raymond Lindsay, 60, stomped on, kicked and punched the victim in their “cowardly” attack.
The District Court heard the victim was walking away on Whitmore Square on May 12, 2020 when Trevor ran up behind him and repeatedly punched him to the face, knocking him to the ground.
“After he went to the ground you kicked and stomped on his body and head,” Judge Heath Barklay said during sentencing.
“While the victim was on the ground with Trevor Lindsay kicking him you, Michael Lindsay, joined in and kicked the victim.
“You both then punched him to the head while he was on the ground.”
“Your explanation for the offending was that prior to your attack the victim, who had been drinking with a group of people associated with you, had exposed his genitals in front of the group including women and children,” Judge Barklay said.
Both Adelaide men pleaded guilty to causing harm with intent to cause harm.
Judge Barklay sentenced Michael to two years and ten months jail, with a non-parole period of one year and ten months.
Trevor was sentenced to two years and nine months’ jail, with a non-parole period of one year and nine months.
Both sentences were suspended on a three year good behaviour bond.
Trio’s blowtorch vigilante justice
A woman was sentenced to home detention after a man and his mother were assaulted and threatened in their home by a trio wielding a blowtorch, claw hammer and axe.
Caitlin Jane Richards, 26, and her two co-accused committed a “cowardly act” of “vigilante justice” described as premeditated and calculated when they went to the man’s home after threatening texts threatening the rape of children sent to her mother.
During sentencing, the District Court heard Richards and her co-accused, who were known to the victim, entered his Morphettville home at 7:30pm on June 3, 2022.
“(The co-accused) approached the victim and told him to zip-tie his wrists together,” Judge Joana Fuller said.
“They said to him, ‘do you like raping kids?’”
Richards was armed with a blow torch and approached the victim’s mother before flicking it on and off.
The victim’s mother disarmed Richards, who left the property and waited outside.
“(The co-accused) repeatedly hit his arms, legs and feet with the blunt end of the axe and hammer,” Judge Fuller said.
The mother screamed for help and managed to force the group out of the house before the victim called a friend who arrived and called police.
The victim sustained a fracture on his forearm, as well as bruising and abrasions to both legs and a cut to his left calf that required stitches.
Richards pleaded guilty to aggravated serious criminal trespass and aggravated assault causing harm.
Counsel for Richards told the court her client and the victim had a long history, including occasions where the victim allegedly fed her son a marijuana-laced cookie, repeatedly threatened her and “bashed her” in May of 2022.
Prior to the assault, Richards’ mother received threatening messages interpreted to be a threat of rape against Richards’ son, who was five at the time.
Judge Fuller sentenced Richards to two years and 11 months, with a non-parole period of 19 months.
She was ordered to serve the sentence on home detention.
Husband and wife’s revenge arson attack
A woman torched her rental home in an “unjustified revenge” attack on her landlord for being asked to move out.
Mother-of-five Rhiannon Sarri Watherston, 37, gathered cardboard boxes and clothes into a bedroom at the Elizabeth South rental home before setting it on fire shortly before 2am on October 2, 2020.
Her husband Keven James Gordan Watherston, 33, avoided jail after he watched the home burn instead of calling the fire brigade.
In sentencing, District Court Judge Michael Durrant said the “calculated and planned” fire caused “extensive damage” to multiple rooms at the property, leaving a $228,000 damage bill.
“Your motivation in offending was a sense of unjustified revenge and a desire to cause hurt and harm to the landlord and his family,” he said.
Ms Watherston was driven away by Mr Watherston before the couple parked on vacant land nearby to watch as the flames took hold.
Judge Durrant imposed a jail term of four years and three months on Ms Watherston, with a non-parole period of two years.
Mr Watherston was sentenced to two years and four months jail, with a non-parole period of one year and one month.
Due to Mr Watherston now being the primary carer of the couple’s children and lesser role in the offending, the sentence was suspended on a $500, two year good behaviour bond.
Woman’s vengeful home invasion on ex
An aspiring beautician’s animosity towards her ex landed her behind bars after she committed a vicious home invasion.
Tegan Lee Martin, 24, was drunk and high when she used a taser on her ex-boyfriend in the “pre-mediated” attack.
During sentencing, the District Court heard Martin had previously been in a relationship with the victim, Jacob Tiller, for approximately five years.
“Your relationship was characterised by dysfunction and immaturity on both sides,” Justice Julie McIntyre said.
The court heard the relationship ended three years prior to the offending, but there was still some “ill will” between the pair.
Martin, who was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, rushed through Mr Tiller’s unlocked sliding door on October 6, 2021 in Port Lincoln.
Martin opened the bathroom door where Mr Tiller was and Martin used a taser on him, while her co-accused hit him on the elbow with a metal pole.
Mr Tiller pushed past the duo and attempted to run to the back door but fell to the ground.
“(Your co-accused) stabbed Mr Tiller with the knife to the side of the head. You continued to use the taser on Mr Tiller,” Justice McIntyre said.
Mr Tiller was taken to the Port Lincoln Hospital with an 8cm laceration to the side of his head.
The cut extended through the skin, muscle and onto the bone and required emergency surgery and 10 stitches.
Martin, of Port Lincoln, pleaded guilty to serious criminal trespass and causing harm with intent.
Justice McIntyre sentenced Martin to two years and five months jail, with a non-parole period of 10 months.
Duo’s revenge over drug debt
An aspiring lawyer is behind bars after she found herself on the wrong side of the law and committed a violent home invasion.
Nicki Meree Robinson, 30, and Christopher Geoffrey Thornton Robinson, 43, were jailed in the Supreme Court for their terrifying act of retribution over a drug debt.
During sentencing, the court heard one of the victims, Beau McPherson supplied Mr Robinson with fantasy for $400 prior to the offending but hadn’t received payment from him.
The victims left a note saying “WTF is our money for the s*** we got yest (yesterday) – don’t make me come back,” on a car outside Ms Robinson’s Paradise home.
Ms Robinson, who was wearing a wig, and Mr Robinson burst into Mr McPherson and his partner Jason’s Whitehead’s Ridgehaven granny flat on September 27, 2021.
Mr Robinson pinned Mr Whitehead down, before slitting his neck with a sharp weapon, while Ms Robinson stole his phone.
Mr Whitehead was conveyed to hospital after having his occipital artery severed and sustaining a 15cm laceration to the back of his neck, which required medical staples.
Mr Robinson was found guilty of serious criminal trespass and causing harm with intent.
He was acquitted of the more serious charge of attempted murder, as well as robbery.
Ms Robinson was found guilty by a jury in July of serious criminal trespass and theft after a month-long trial and acquitted of robbery.
Justice Kimber sentenced Mr Robinson to four years jail, with a non-parole period of two years and four months.
The sentence was backdated to October 5, 2021.
Ms Robinson was sentenced to two years and eight months jail, with a non-parole period of one year.
The sentence was backdated to July 28.
Bad drugs lead to dealer’s kidnapping
A woman was kidnapped at gunpoint, bashed and thrown into the boot of a car because of lies and dodgy drugs, a court has heard.
Tuesday Holly Thomas, 35, Jayden Paul Casey, 28, Peter Slavin-Molloy and Joel Williams, 39, were jailed over the terrifying joint enterprise.
The District Court heard the victim agreed to meet Williams at Para Hills McDonald’s on June 12, 2020.
Casey and Williams got into the victim’s car and Casey held a small handgun to the back of her head and forced her to drive.
They called Thomas who said “bring the putrid mutt here” and the victim was taken to a Elizabeth Park address.
“You all stayed to interrogate and terrorise her about her apparent wrongdoings to other people,” Judge Liesl Kudelka said during sentencing.
The group started taking videos and photos of her, trying to force her to apologise to all the people she had “ripped off”.
The court heard Thomas punched the victim to her face, while Slavin-Molloy spat at the victim and told her he was going to urinate on her.
The victim was tied up, gagged and a dog lead placed around her neck.
“She was made to get into the boot of the car … at one point she fell unconscious,” Judge Kudelka said.
The court heard when the victim woke up she called 000 on a phone she had hidden in her pants.
Thomas, Williams, Slavin-Molloy and Casey pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and various assault charges, while Casey, Slavin-Molloy and Williams also pleaded guilty to kidnapping.
The court heard the group engaged in the “vigilante justice” because the victim had spread false accusations that Casey sexually assaulted her friend.
Judge Kudelka sentenced Thomas to four years and six months jail, with a non-parole period of two years and four months.
Casey was sentenced to five years and seven months jail, with a non-parole period of two years and 10 months, while Williams was jailed for five years and three months, with the same non-parole period.
Slavin-Molloy was jailed for three years and 11 months, with a non-parole period of one year and eight months.
Group’s revenge drive-by shooting
A man who fired shots in a revenge drive-by shooting was spared further jail time for his role after he quit ties with his bikie club and said he was steering clear of drugs.
Thomas Mortiz O’Connor was then assisted to cover up his crime.
O’Connor was with Thomas Wilshire Patterson – who were both Hells Angels members at the time – Natalie Marie Pilkington, 28, and Lilli Mae Trenerry, 28, on November 26, 2020.
The court previously heard Trenerry organised the group to take revenge for her brother.
O’Connor fired bullets into the garage door of a Salisbury North property – which was the wrong house and not the target of their plan.
The group then attended at Lyell McEwin Hospital shortly after the shooting, where Ms Pilkington was treated for a gunshot wound to her hip.
Patterson helped O’Connor remove traces of gunshot residue from the car after the shooting.
Trenerry made false statements to police, including that she didn’t remember who was driving the car at the time of the shooting and a random car shot at Pilkington.
Judge Liesl Kudelka sentenced O’Connor for discharging a firearm to one year and 10 months, with a non-parole period of eight months.
She ordered the sentence be served on home detention.
Trenerry, of Morphett Vale, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender and was sentenced to a $1000, one year good behaviour bond.
Charges were dropped against Ms Pilkington.
Judge Rauf Soulio sentenced Patterson, who pleaded guilty to assisting an offender, to two years and six months jail, with a non-parole period of eight months.
He was ordered to serve the sentence on home detention.
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