Jayden and Troy Moss: Brothers in court for suburban siege

A Brisbane man, locked in a dispute with his neighbour, recruited six people to lay siege to the man’s home, armed with a shotgun, rocks, pot plants and aluminium rod.

A Brisbane ice-addict on a six-day bender without sleep recruited his father, teenage brother and four other people to lay siege to a house belonging to his neighbour, with whom he had a money-related dispute with.

The “vigilante suburban attack”, led by Inala man Troy Andrew Moss, 27, and assisted by his brother, Logan Village man Jayden Leigh Moss, 19, and his father, Peter Andrew Moss, 48, as well as four other people, occurred at an Inala address on August 29, 2019.

Troy pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court on Monday to forcible entry, attempted burglary, threatening violence, going armed so as to cause fear, and four counts of wilful damage.

Father Peter has already pleaded guilty to attempted burglary and three counts of wilful damage and will be sentenced on Wednesday, while Jayden pleaded guilty in Beaudesert Magistrates Court to charges of threatening violence and wilful damage and was fined $900 with no conviction recorded.

Inala man Troy Andrew Ross, 27. Picture: Facebook

The court heard the dispute was stoked by the neighbour’s claim that his mother’s mobile phone, which Troy helped sell, was paid for with counterfeit money, as well as Troy allegedly owing the mother $1200 from an unrelated matter.

On the day in question, the neighbour demanded the money, to which Troy replied he needed a few hours.

A short while later, the court heard, the neighbour, who lived with his mother and another person, saw an “unknown male brandishing a firearm and making threats” outside his house.

The man retreated, but then the three Mosses, as well as four others, returned to lay siege to the home, the court heard.

They began throwing rocks, sticks and potplants at the house, shattering several windows and damaging three cars parked out the front of the house.

Troy and another punched at the screen door, ramming it with their bodies; Peter then allegedly stabbed at the door with an aluminium rod to gain entry.

All the while, the court heard, obscenities and threats were being yelled, such as, “Open the door, c***, you’re f****** dead c***”.

Logan Village man Jayden Leigh Ross, 19. Picture: Facebook

The siege lasted half an hour before the seven assailants melted away.

The court heard the attackers wore no disguises and it was a “very public attack, everyone in the street would have heard... the ferocity and aggression... would have been terrifying for the victims”.

When arrested and charged in the following weeks by police, Troy admitted to, on the evening of August 28, 2019, standing on his balcony and firing a shotgun in the direction of his neighbour’s house to intimidate him.

Defence counsel Russell Pearce told the court Troy’s neighbour was not blameless in the matter.

Mr Pearce said the neighbour was effectively extorting Troy, wanting more than the money he claimed he was owed, threatening Troy’s wife and children, repeatedly arriving unannounced at his house and, on one occasion, “unlawfully detaining” Troy in a room and threatening him with a samurai sword.

Mr Pearce submitted that this was why the neighbour had not written a victim impact statement.

He further submitted the incident was preventable, as Peter had contacted police in the days before, trying to lodge a complaint on his son’s behalf against the neighbour, but was allegedly met with indifference.

However, Mr Pearce did note his client’s “paranoia and depression”, driven by a week-long ice bender in which he had not slept, was a contributing factor.

Acting Judge Robert East QC sentenced Troy Moss to 18 months’ imprisonment with immediate parole.