Terrifying home invasion leaves owner in coma, family living in fear

A terrifying home invasion resulted in a man being brutally beaten, slashed and left in a coma with horrific burns after his house was set alight, a Queensland court has heard.

A court heard how an Ipswich family now live in fear after a home invasion.

A terrifying home invasion resulted in an Ipswich man being brutally beaten, slashed and left in a coma with horrific burns after his house was set aflame, a court has heard.

Newtown resident Aaron Geoffrey Bennett, 32, pleaded guilty in Ipswich District Court on January 27 to charges including arson, enter dwelling by break at night while armed and in company and grievous bodily harm.

He also pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing dangerous drugs, stealing property over $5000, failing to properly dispose of a needle and syringe, failing to appear and possessing utensils or pipes.

The court heard Bennett, allegedly accompanied by another man, broke into a Raceview home on April 23, 2021.

Crown prosecutor Amy Stannard said the owner was home alone about 4.40am when he was woken by the sound of shattering glass.

Judge Dennis Lynch described how Bennett came through the window allegedly with the other man, “smashing (their) way into the sanctity of (the victim’s) home” and attacked him.

Ms Stannard said the victim was hit multiple times in the face and received cuts to his legs, stomach and other parts of his body.

Bennett’s accomplice allegedly attacked him with a knife or sharp implement, while Bennett brandished a crowbar.

Ms Stannard said the victim was “not particularly known” to Bennett but had recognised him from an association from the local football club.

The victim was able to escape through a broken window and hid behind his neighbour’s van.

Ms Stannard said Bennett and also allegedly his accomplice then set fire to the house using a water bottle filled with fuel they had taken with them to start the blaze.

The victim watched them leave and then ran inside in a futile attempt to extinguish the flames.

Ms Stannard said he suffered severe burns to more than 10 per cent of his body and was put into an induced coma for four days.

The court heard that if the burns had been left untreated they would have resulted in serious disfigurement.

There was also significant damage to the entry and lounge area of the home, which has since been repaired.

Defence barrister Matthew Hynes said while the victim could not be blamed for trying to douse the flames, he was not in the house when the fire started.

Ms Stannard said the victim had been diagnosed with PTSD since the offending, and had to move house as a result.

She said the victim later commented that “when something like this happens to you in your home, you just don’t feel safe ever”.

Ms Stannard said the victim’s mother described how the offending had had a “huge emotional impact on their family”.

She said the victim’s half brother was murdered in Western Australia a few years ago and the home invasion stirred up old wounds and fears for the family.

“(The victim’s mother) described to me that they all continued to live in fear after what happened to their son,” Ms Stannard said.

She said police identified Bennett using DNA found at the scene and arrested him in June last year after he committed other alleged offences.

The court heard Bennett arranged to buy a gold chain on Facebook marketplace, but snatched it when he met with the seller at a McDonald’s restaurant.

Police then searched his home and found 0.171g of a substance containing methamphetamine, 1.26g of cannabis and related drug implements.

Mr Hynes said his client struggled with drug addiction throughout his life and had turned to drugs once again after being released from custody.

He noted Bennett’s criminal history included a 2014 sentence for drunkenly assaulting his football coach, who had started sleeping with his ex-girlfriend.

Judge Lynch said Bennett’s offending since that sentence mainly consisted of drug and property offending.

Mr Hynes said his client had dedicated himself to his faith while in custody on remand for this offending.

He intended to move away from Ipswich upon his release to separate himself from his old patterns.

Bennett received a head sentence of eight years’ jail, with parole eligibility set for June 5, 2025.

His presentence custody of 600 days was declared time served, and convictions were recorded.