Steven Thomas Wegert sentenced in court for home invasion

A man has been sentenced in Rockhampton District Court for his part in a violent home invasion that left a father and son with multiple fractures.

A Rockhampton man that was “robbed of his childhood” has been sentenced to prison for four years for his part in a violent home invasion that left a father and son with multiple fractures.

Steven Thomas Wegert, 29, pleaded guilty in Rockhampton District Court on October 20 to two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and in company, and one count each of burglary by break in the night with violence while armed and in company and attempted armed robbery in company.

Wegert’s co-offenders, Lance Edward Dixon and Bailey Joseph Lill, pleaded guilty in Rockhampton District Court on July 30 for their part in the offending.

Dixon was sentenced to four years prison, suspended after 14 months with immediate parole, and Lill was sentenced to 3.5 years prison which was cumulative on a sentence he had received in Gladstone District Court on July 15, 2020, for armed robbery in company.

Judge Jeff Clarke set Lill’s parole eligibility date as October 12, 2021.

Steven Thomas Wegert, 29, was sentenced in Rockhampton District Court on October 20, 2021.

Crown prosecutor Samantha O’Rourke said the victim’s were Jeffrey Willington and his son Michael Campbell, who were attacked in their residence on August 5, 2020 about 10pm by Wegert, Dixon and Lill.

Ms O’Rourke said the offending was sparked by a “bad deal” that involved Mr Willington selling Dixon’s father a “s--- car”.

She said Wegert, Dixon and Lill broke into the victim’s house by ripping the screen door off and that Dixon told Mr Willington they were there for the “s--- car” he had sold his father.

She said Wegert and Lill were both armed, one with a knife and the other a stake, and that all three had covered their faces with bandannas.

She said there was a “ sustained violent attack” on Mr Willington, during which Wegert or Lill cut him under his right knee with the knife.

The court heard Mr Willington was punched, kicked and hit with the weapons and knocked out.

Ms O’Rourke said the attack then turned to Mr Campbell, who was trying to protect his father.

“He was punched and struck with the weapons,” she said.

She said Dixon demanded money from Mr Campbell and Wegert and Lill went looking for property to take before fleeing the address.

She said Wegert told police, “I was there but I wasn’t”.

She said Mr Willington suffered a fracture to his right orbit on his skull, along with the cut to his leg, and Mr Campbell suffered fractures to his face and nose.

Victim impact statements were tendered to the court.

Ms O’Rourke said both statements detailed the harm the victims had suffered and that both had found it hard to be motivated and had increased their dependency to alcohol.

Lance Edward Dixon.

“It must have been a truly terrifying ordeal for them,” she said.

Barrister Maree Willey said her client’s childhood was marred by drugs and domestic violence, being exposed to both through his mother and stepfather.

Ms Willey said her client was introduced to drugs by his mother and stepfather when he was 12 years old and the court heard he was essentially “robbed of his childhood”.

She said her client worked at Hero Kebabs as a manager until he lost his job when the store closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing him to become homeless.

She said, together with the loss of her client’s job and home, a long-term relationship also ended, causing him to relapse back into using drugs.

She said her client was affected by alcohol and MDMA at the time of the offence and did not recall using a knife.

“He instructed that he had the stake that he picked up from the garden,” she said.

She said her client wasn’t beyond rehabilitation and desired to meet his child that was born in May for the first time.

Judge Clarke said he understood that what happened in Wegert’s early life had made him angry, but warned that he had to do something about it.

“Other people should not be harmed because of the anger you carry around,” he said.

“There are other ways to deal with it.”

Wegert was sentenced to four years prison with 376 days declared as time served and immediate parole.

Judge Clarke also committed Wegert to the Rockhampton Supreme Court to be dealt with for a breach of suspended sentence that was imposed on May 5, 2016 for trafficking dangerous drugs.