Drugged-up vigilante ex-boyfriend sentenced to prison after break-in attempt

A 30-year-old father-of-two ‘went off the rails’ after losing his lucrative scaffolding business to COVID closures.

A “misguided” ex-boyfriend’s attempts at vigilante justice came back to bite him at the Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on Friday when he copped a hefty sentence for trying to scare off his ex-girlfriend’s new and allegedly abusive partner.

Shaydon Brian Blair, 30, pleaded guilty to a series of 13 charges that occurred between July and November 2020.

Shaydon Brian Blair had a very limited criminal history prior to his business going bust last year.

The court heard Blair owned a lucrative scaffolding company that went bust when COVID-restrictions hit the construction industry and forced the business into receivership.

Since then Blair, a father of two young daughters, “went off the rails” and got involved in dangerous drugs, including cannabis and prescription medication such as diazepam and duromine.

According to police prosecution, Blair first came to the attention of police on July 21 when he tried to break into the home his ex-girlfriend shared with her new partner.

At 2.30am Blair, who had heard the new partner was allegedly mistreating his ex, decided to “take matters into his own hands” by cutting the electricity to their house and storming up to the backdoor.

Shaydon Brian Blair damaged a security camera, car tyre and screen door at his ex-girlfriend's home.

The court heard Blair pounded on the door, getting his fist stuck in the screen, and threatened the new partner with a knife.

Blair did not actually have a knife, according to the prosecution.

On this occasion he was charged with trespassing, causing wilful damage to the screen door, security cameras and a car tyre, and possession of 8.5 grams of cannabis and 25 diazepam tablets, for which he did not have a script.

Blair was due to front court on these charges when police executed a search warrant on his Brighton home on November 25.

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They uncovered a further 40.28 grams of cannabis, gummy bear edibles, a bottle of duromine for which he did not have a prescription, six clip seal bags, scales, a drug testing kit, knuckle dusters and two iPhones.

Police suspected the iPhones would contain incriminating evidence but they were unable to access it as Blair declined to supply the pin codes.

The justice system considers a failure to supply phone access to be a serious offence, according to Magistrate Melanie Ho, who said the “defiance strikes at the very foundation of the criminal justice system” and “stymies (police) investigation”.

Blair was sentenced to 12 months probation for the July offences and three months in prison, wholly suspended with an operational period of nine months, for the November offences.

Convictions were recorded.