10 of the most bizarre court cases heard in South Australia in 2023
A landlord’s DIY eviction, a supermarket poo and a “spooning” home invader are some of the cases that had judges scratching their heads this year.
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From a vengeful group’s DIY eviction to a woman who stole a pensioner’s car before falsely claiming he wanted sex, there have certainly been some bizarre crimes committed in South Australia this year.
The Advertiser has compiled a list of weird and wacky court cases that we’ve covered in 2023.
Wawu Wawu
A young father was jailed after he held down a fellow party guest while his friends violently bashed him to steal his marijuana, a court heard.
Wawu Wawu, 20, was drug-fuelled when he committed the “vicious and cowardly” act, in which the victim thought he was going to die.
During sentencing, the District Court heard Wawu, who had just turned 18, was at a friend’s house in Dover Gardens in July 2021.
The occupant of the house had also invited the victim over for a drink.
“I was told that you and your friends were jealous of the victim and upset that he would not share his alcohol and marijuana with you,” Judge Joana Fuller said.
“You and four of your friends made a plan to assault him and steal his marijuana.”
The court heard the group went into the bedroom, where Wawu held the victim down while he was viciously assaulted by his friends.
The victim suffered a fractured nose, eye socket and bruising and swelling.
Wawu’s friends then took the victim’s car keys and left the bedroom.
The court heard Wawu told the victim he could get his car back if he transferred $500 to him, which the victim did.
The victim found his car around the corner of the property, which was no longer roadworthy.
The Marden father-of-two pleaded guilty to robbery.
Judge Fuller sentenced Wawu to three years and five months jail, with a non-parole period of 22 months.
Ebony Castle
A woman stole a pensioner’s car, reversed into and drove over him with it, and then blamed him for her crime – falsely claiming he wanted sex.
Ebony Kay Castle wept as the District Court granted her extensive “credit” for almost three years spent waiting, in custody and on home detention bail, for sentencing.
Chief Judge Michael Evans noted some of that delay was of Castle’s own making, given her baseless claims about her victim, 74, and push for a home detention sentence.
Castle, 28, pleaded guilty to aggravated counts of theft and recklessly causing serious harm, as well as illegal use of a motor vehicle.
The charges arise from an incident at Days Rd on September 28, 2020, when Castle stole her victim’s 2011 Holden Epica after pushing him over in the carpark of a pub.
Following her arrest, Castle told a psychologist she “formed the belief he wanted to have sexual relations” with her – and asked the court to show leniency in sentencing.
Chief Judge Evans said Castle had opened the back door of the victim’s car without warning, threw in her bags and said “drive”.
When the victim got out and tried to remove her, she got into the front seat, reversed over him and then drove back over him to get away.
“Your offending has had a huge impact on him … he has suffered very severe injuries to his ribs, back, right leg and pelvis,” Chief Judge Evans said.
He sentenced Castle to three years and two months’ jail, with a non-parole period of 20 months.
Chief Judge Evans also disqualified Castle from driving for 12 months.
Sheree Hall
A grandmother who took over her jailed friend’s drug dealing business also found herself behind bars after she fled interstate.
Sheree Nadine Hall ignored the stern warning from a judge who said if she didn’t change her ways, she’d cycle in and out of jail until she died.
Hall was sentenced in January to home detention after pleading guilty to two counts of drug trafficking.
The District Court heard Hall removed her home detention bracelet in February and remained at large until April 30.
The court heard Hall’s daughter came to stay with her and needed urgent help in relation to domestic violence matters.
“She wished to travel to Queensland and you did not want her to travel on her own,” Judge Michelle Sutcliffe said.
During sentencing, the court heard Hall, 50, was detected by police after her car hit a tree at Largs Bay on June 17, 2019.
After she was hospitalised, a plastic bag was found inside her bra which contained 8.26g of methamphetamine.
Police then searched a Peterhead property a few days later and found 9.73g of methamphetamine, $1300, two mobile phones, tick lists and digital scales.
“Text messages on one of the mobile phones revealed that you had taken over the use of the phone from a friend of yours, Helen, when she went to jail,” Judge Joana Fuller said.
She was a drug dealer and when she went to jail you took over her business.”
Judge Sutcliffe revoked the home detention order and ordered Hall serve the remaining sentence of three years and one month in jail, with a non-parole period of two years and five months.
Thomas O’Connor
A former Hells Angel relapsed back into drug use after he was threatened by members for selling club jewellery on an auction site.
However in an “extraordinary” twist, Thomas Mortiz O’Connor, 32, was not behind advertising the club rings online, but rather police.
Judge Liesl Kudelka sentenced O’Connor in July last year for discharging a firearm to one year and 10 months, with a non-parole period of eight months.
O’Connor fired bullets into the garage door of a Salisbury North property on November 26, 2020 – which was the wrong house and not the target of his group’s plan.
Judge Kudelka ordered O’Connor serve his sentence on home detention.
The court heard O’Connor had breached the order by returning two positive drug tests in February and one in March, as well as avoiding a drug test on March 31.
The court heard O’Connor started using drugs again to help him stay awake and alert at night after threats were made by Hells Angels members.
“Members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club contacted Mr O’Connor to challenge him for selling a ring belonging to the club via Pickles Auctions,” David Edwardson, KC, for O’Connor, said.
Mr Edwardson said O’Connor’s club rings had been in the custody of police but hadn’t received a response from them for why they had been advertised online, despite numerous attempts.
After making some phone calls, Mark Alessandrindi, for the prosecution, told the court he wasn’t certain how it happened but the rings were being returned.
“They were inadvertently advertised for sale around July or August of last year,” he said.
Mr Edwardson replied that it was “extraordinary” and “beggars belief” that police would put the jewellery on an auction site.
Taking into account the circumstances and six weeks O’Connor had spent in custody, Judge Kudelka excused the breaches and released him to return home to his parents.
Skye Reynolds
A drug dealer’s fast food run led to her arrest after she was found unconscious by an employee and police searched her car.
A drug dealer’s fast food run led to her arrest after she was found unconscious by an employee and police searched her car.
Skye Gemma Reynolds, 23, was jailed for selling meth to fuel her own addiction and then cutting off her home detention bracelet.
During sentencing, the District Court heard Reynolds ordered food at the Hungry Jack’s drive-through in Dry Creek on August 17.
“The Hungry Jack’s employee then went outside to hand you your food and observed your head was flopped to the side and that your eyes were closed,” Judge Paul Slattery said.
“You were unconscious and appeared to be under the influence of drugs.”
Reynolds’ car was searched and police found three bags of mixed methamphetamine, weighing over 3.5g, 24.9g of 1,4-Butanediol, a large quantity of empty press-seal bags, $1,605 and multiple mobile phones.
An analysis of an iPhone revealed drug trafficking messages from August 5 to 17.
The court heard Reynolds cut off her home detention bracelet in November and was taken into custody on December 23.
Reynolds, of Paralowie, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking.
Judge Slattery sentenced Reynolds to two years and 10 months jail, with a non-parole period of 15 months.
The sentence was backdated to December 23.
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.
Thomas Gray
A former supermarket manager “infatuated” with his victim fired a shot during a terrifying home invasion to scare him.
Thomas Matthew Gray, 30, was jailed for over four years after he bashed the victim and forced him to come to his house.
During sentencing, the District Court heard Gray became infatuated with the 22-year-old victim who was part of the same drug subculture in Port Lincoln.
The court heard the victim saw Gray standing outside his house on his security cameras on October 5, 2021.
Gray managed to break in through a window, while the victim hid in a bathroom.
“You found the complainant in the bathroom, you told him he had to come with you,” Auxiliary Judge Gordon Barrett said.
Gray then took out a homemade firearm, which he loaded.
“You fired the firearm to scare him, you then hit him multiple times to the head – you were wearing heavy rings on your fingers,” Auxiliary Judge Barrett said.
Under threats the victim went with Gray to his house, but police arrived shortly after – having been called by the victim’s mother.
Gray, of Port Lincoln, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including criminal trespass, discharging a firearm and assault causing harm.
Auxiliary Judge Barrett sentenced Gray to four years and three months jail, with a non-parole period of two years and 10 months.
The sentence was backdated to October 5, 2021.
Kristoffer Coghlan
A man admitted to defecating on the front step of a supermarket in Adelaide’s south in one of many “undignified” incidents.
Kristoffer Graeme Coghlan, 36, was sentenced in the Adelaide Magistrates Court for 20 charges that included disorderly behaviour and damage to property.
The court heard Coghlan approached the Coles at Plympton where he “removed his clothing” before defecating just outside the store on February 6.
“It was observed by witnesses and took place in a front entrance walkway,” Magistrate Kate White said.
“That was no doubt a very disturbing incident for the people who witnessed it and for the Coles staff.”
This was just one of the many “undignified” and “anti social” offences Coghlan participated in over a 10 month period.
The court heard Coghlan entered a number of restaurants and fast food establishments in the CBD and surrounding suburbs, harassing staff and customers, taking food off tables and from the kitchen while helping himself to refreshments.
On Christmas Eve last year, Coghlan entered Priceline at Glenelg where he was observed to be swearing and harassing people, with staff also seeing Coghlan drink hand sanitiser.
Coghlan was sentenced to a total of 109 days jail, backdated to February 6.
Clinton Michalik
A terrified woman woke up to a complete stranger indecently assaulting her after he broke into her house in the middle of the night.
The court heard Clinton Paul Michalik, 49, was at chronic risk of reoffending as he was jailed for the bizarre home invasion.
During sentencing, the District Court heard the victim was woken shortly after midnight on September 7, 2022 when she felt Michalik “spooning her”.
“She turned the lamp on and there was a man who was a complete stranger to her with his pants pulled down just above the knees,” Judge Paul Muscat said.
“The man was holding his genital area in his right hand.”
The victim started screaming and repeatedly calling out to her mum at the top of her lungs.
Michalik then jumped out of bed and tried to run out the bedroom.
“The victim chased you and took hold of your T-shirt near the scruff of the neck and began punching you,” Judge Muscat said.
Michalik made his way to the sliding door, with the victim chasing after him and swinging more punches.
The court heard Michalik then picked up a brick from the ground and swung it at the victim – which did not strike her – before running into the street.
He was arrested a couple of hours later not far from the victim’s home.
Michalik, of Oakden, pleaded guilty to serious criminal trespass and indecent assault.
Judge Muscat sentenced Michalik to four years and three months in jail, with a non-parole period of three years and five months.
The sentence was backdated to September 7, 2022.
Tammy Clark
A Seacombe Gardens woman who poured coffee on a mother, assaulted an off-duty cop and attacked commuters at a train station in Adelaide’s south was jailed.
Tammy Marie Clark, 44, pleaded guilty to a number of charges including assault and disorderly behaviour in the Christies Beach Magistrates Court.
The court heard Clark assaulted a number of people across “two weeks of bizzareness” according to her defence counsel.
The court heard the first assault took place on June 14 where Clark was seen by shoppers and on CCTV spitting and walking into people outside of Strandbags in Westfield Marion, as well as rubbing her groin.
Several days later on June 17, Clark followed a young mother and her 10 year old daughter to their car at the same Marion shopping centre, with the belief the mother was going to hurt her daughter, the court heard.
“The defendant grabbed the mother around the neck and applied pressure,” the police prosecutor said.
“An off duty police woman was able to assist in aiding the mother, who was also later assaulted by the defendant who had pulled her hair.”
As the allegations were being read out in court Clark appeared in disbelief over her actions.
“That’s so weird,” she said.
On June 20 and 21, Clark further assaulted two women as they were arriving at the Oaklands Park train station.
On June 22, Clark reached into a woman’s car in Seacombe Gardens, throwing personal belongings out of the car before punching the victim four times to the face.
A day later, a mother and her two children were walking to daycare along Diagonal Road at Oaklands Park, when Clark blocked their path and attempted to take the pram from the mother.
Amid the tussle, Clark grabbed a cup of coffee that had been placed in the pram and poured it over the mother and grabbed her by the hair.
Clark was sentenced to nine months and 24 days jail, with six months suspended.
The sentence was backdated to June 23.
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