Justin Rose, Raylene Lagerwey sentenced over New Year’s Day home invasion

A mother “lured” her son into taking part in a savage home invasion and attack that left a man with broken bones, because she thought her handbag had been stolen, a court has heard.

Justin Rose and his mother Raylene Lagerwey were sentenced in the County Court on Monday.

A mother “lured” her son into taking part in a savage home invasion because she thought her handbag had been stolen, a court has heard.

Justin Rose, 27, and his mother, Raylene Lagerwey, 51, appeared in the Melbourne County Court on Monday, to be sentenced for their part in a “frightening” home invasion in the early hours of New Year’s Day in 2021.

The court heard a group armed with poles and baseball bats stormed a Corio home smashing windows and attacking a man while six young children slept.

Rose had previously pleaded guilty to charge each of aggravated burglary, recklessly causing injury and possession of a prohibited weapon – a crossbow – while Lagerwey pleaded guilty to a single charge of aggravated burglary.

The court heard hours before the attack, a drunk Lagerwey knocked on a neighbour’s door about 1am and asked if a taxi had arrived for her.

She was told it had come and gone, and two of the women at the house offered to give her a lift to her ex-partner’s home in Norlane.

Lagerwey left her handbag in the car, which was then, unbeknown to her, thrown on the nature strip after her.

When she realised her handbag was missing she returned to Chaffey Sq and confronted one of the women outside her home, pushing her and shouting: “where’s my f--king bag”.

The court heard Lagerwey said she would “get (her) son, come back and smash up your house and cars”.

Shortly after, a Commodore pulled up outside the house and a group of unknown men got out, armed with poles and baseball bats, and began smashing the home’s side windows. Rose arrived separately around the same time, also armed with a baseball bat.

Inside the house, a man confronted the group only to be attacked by Rose, before the other men joined in.

The man suffered bruising and swelling to his face and mouth, a fractured nasal bone and bruising and swelling to a wrist, but the court heard it could not be established which injuries were directly caused by Rose.

Meanwhile, Lagerwey grabbed a woman by the hair, and tried to rip her phone away when she tried to call the police.

Judge Martine Marich noted that at no point during the “confrontational” home invasion did Lagerwey ask for her handbag back, nor did the man who was attacked have any connection to the perceived stolen handbag.

Judge Marich said that Rose’s upbringing was defined by poverty and exposure to drug use and domestic violence, and the offending came at a time he felt “rudderless”.

Rose had developed an “entrenched” drug addiction and drinking problem, and a psychological report found he had a “distorted mother son attachment” and suffered features of borderline personality disorder.

Judge Marich said that Lagerwey had symptoms consistent with undiagnosed ADHD and prison had been a source of considerable anxiety.

In sentencing Lagerwey, judge Marich said she was “persuaded with some hesitation” to the defence’s plea for no additional time in prison.

She ordered Lagerwey serve a two-year community corrections order (CCO), including 200 hours of unpaid community work and treatment for drug and alcohol use and mental health.

Her 70 days on remand were reckoned as time served.

Rose was jailed for two years, with a one-year non-parole period.

Originally published as Justin Rose, Raylene Lagerwey sentenced over New Year’s Day home invasion