The criminals of the Northern Rivers who faced court in 2021
From cross-border drug dealers to high-profile manslaughter cases, here’s how some of the most serious Northern Rivers crimes played out in court in 2021.
Police & Courts
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From cross-border drug dealers to high-profile manslaughter cases, plenty of Northern Rivers residents have found themselves in trouble with the law this year.
Here is a list of the North Coast offenders who have appeared before the courts in the past year, and the consequences they’ve faced.
Jesse Vilkelis-Curas death
Two men who played key roles in an assault that killed young Lismore man Jesse Vilkelis-Curas as he left an East Ballina pub have been jailed for the tragedy.
Their cases came to a long-awaited conclusion in Lismore District Court in November.
The tragedy began after an altercation in a Shaws Bay pub where the 24-year-old Mr Vilkelis-Curas accidentally smashed the 18th birthday glass of Heath Lynden Cooper in December 23, 2019.
Tensions grew and Cooper’s group was evicted from the pub.
Mr Vilkelis-Curas and his brother crossed paths with the group again near the Missingham Bridge.
Bryson Larsen-Tai then struck Mr Vilkelis-Curas to the side of the head while he wasn’t looking.
Tyrese Hickling then stomped on the victim’s body while he was lying unconscious in a gutter.
Larsen-Tai, 19, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter for dealing the blow that led to Mr Vilkelis-Curas’ death, was sentenced to seven years and six months in jail, backdated to January 2020.
Hickling, 20, who pleaded guilty to affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, was sentenced to four years and six months behind bars, backdated to May 3 2020.
Aaron Marks death
A man walked free and another was eligible for release over a fatal assault of Iluka man Aaron Marks.
Bradley Presbury, 23 and Justin Anderson, 26, were sentenced for assault occasioning death and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in June in Lismore District Court for an event resulting in the 2018 death of Mr Marks.
The attack arose from a failed drug deal on May 12, 2018 when Presbury failed to provide Mr Marks with $150 worth of “pingers”, and Mr Marks asked to meet up to have his money returned.
Presbury met with Marks on River St in Ballina, along with co-accused Anderson and another friend.
After handing Mr Marks back his cash, Presbury dealt an “unprovoked” punch towards the Iluka man.
Believing Mr Marks was attacking Presbury, Anderson pushed Mr Marks and the intoxicated Mr Marks fell onto the hard concrete and the back of his head began to bleed.
He was found dead the next day.
Presbury was sentenced to 501 days, backdating the sentence to February 9, 2020 as time spent in custody.
Anderson received a head sentence of three years, including time spent in custody from June 2, 2019.
Gregory Agnew
A Northern Rivers dad who plied an underage girl with cocaine and booze before raping her was sentenced to jail in September.
Kyogle man Gregory James Agnew, 42, was sentenced in Lismore District Court for two counts of sexual intercourse without consent after being found guilty by a jury in June.
Agnew’s offences related to his rape of a 16-year-old who he brought back to his motorcycle repair shop on November 24, 2018.
Agnew asked the girl, who was interested in becoming a mechanic, to come up to his repair business where he offered her beer and she smoked cannabis.
He persisted she inhale several lines of what he believed was cocaine before he raped her.
Agnew was sentenced to nine years and six months in jail, backdated to February 8, 2021.
Christopher Anthony Macreadie
A depraved Ballina man who broke into a home, raped a sleeping 14-year-old girl and left with a smile on his face will be behind bars for the next eight years.
Christopher Anthony Macreadie pleaded guilty in Lismore District Court in August to aggravated sexual assault with a person under 16 and aggravated break and enter with intent to commit a serious indictable offence.
The girl and her mother had fallen asleep in the lounge room when Macreadie broke into their home in June 2018 and started undressing the sleeping girl and touching her.
When she woke, she was too terrified to move and pretended to be asleep.
It was only when the man began raping her with his fingers did she bolt up in pain.
He motioned her to “shh” and left out the door with her intimates, but not before smiling at his victim as he left.
Macreadie was convicted on both counts and sentenced to eight years and six months jail, backdated to December 25, 2020.
Macreadie will face a five year and 10 month non-parole period and be eligible for parole on October 26, 2026.
Jake Anthony Magri
A West Ballina man behind an extensive cross-border guns and drug syndicate learnt his fate in December.
Jake Anthony Magri, 28, faced Lismore District Court judgment regarding multiple drug and firearm possession and supply charges from 2020.
Magri had previously pleaded guilty to 36 firearms and drug charges, including supplying a prohibited firearm, supplying a commercial quantity of drugs, manufacturing a commercial quantity of drugs, knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime and possessing counterfeit money.
During his judgment, Judge Warwick Hunt detailed how Magri was caught dealing with an undercover officer working for cross-border operation Strike Force Ranson.
Throughout four months of communication, Magri supplied commercial quantities of MDMA, 2.471kg of amphetamines, a military firearm, cannabis, cocaine, and dextromethorphan pills to the undercover officer.
The court also heard he tried to convert large amounts of cash into bitcoin to conceal his proceeds.
Judge Hunt said he was satisfied Magri was unlikely to reoffend if he could avoid drugs.
He convicted Magri and sentenced him to 19 months in jail for the Commonwealth offences, backdated to June 23, 2020.
For the NSW offences, he was convicted and sentenced to an aggregated sentence of 10 years in jail, backdated to June 23.
He was placed under a non-parole period of five years and six months and will be eligible for release in December 2025.
James Peter Millington
A South Lismore man was sentenced to jail for biting an off-duty cop during a 2019 pub brawl.
In June, James Peter Millington, 42, pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and wounding causing reckless actual bodily harm, but a judge-only Lismore District Court trial found him guilty on both counts.
On September 3, Millington was convicted on both counts and sentenced.
The court heard Millington bit off-duty police officer Terry Masters’ ear at the Richmond Hotel on Keen St, Lismore on December 13, 2019.
Millington was dancing aggressively on the dance floor before Senior Constable Terry Masters approached him telling him to calm down.
When he didn’t respond Mr Masters approached a security guard for assistance when Millington lashed out and struck both the security guard and Mr Masters with the same punch.
Several other off-duty police officers then became involved in the altercation where Millington grabbed Mr Masters and bit him on the top of the ear, partially severing it.
Millington was sentenced to 17 months in jail, backdated to April 30, 2021, with a non-parole period of eight months.
Aaron Philippe-Collett
A self-proclaimed health guru who actively volunteered in the Byron community was jailed over his double life as a cocaine dealer.
Aaron Philippe-Collett, 45, faced sentencing in Lismore District Court on August 24 after pleading guilty to supplying a prohibited drug on an ongoing basis.
Additional charges included two counts of supplying a prohibited drug, two counts of possessing a prohibited drug, dealing with the proceeds of crime and obstructing or hindering a person with a warrant.
The Ewingsdale bricklayer supplied cocaine as a way to fuel his own addiction and was caught out supplying to undercover cops on more than three occasions.
During those sales, Philippe-Collett sold officers $1650 worth of cocaine.
Police raided his house on January 23, 2020.
When he saw police arriving, he ran to toss the cocaine over his home’s railing but police still found 8.36g of the drug.
They also located scales, ziplock bags, cannabis, a small vial of methamphetamine and a calculator.
Philippe-Collett was sentenced to two years and eight months in jail. He will be released on parole on December 23, 2022.
Tory and Jarett Martin-Manton
Two Ballina brothers who stabbed a man in Byron with broken glass in a late-night brawl have been spared more time behind bars.
Jarett Martin-Manton, 26 and Tory Martin-Manton, 25, pleaded guilty to reckless wounding in company.
A further offence of affray was taken into account for both men when they were sentenced in Lismore District Court in November.
The court heard Gregory Martin was in Apex Park in Byron Bay in September 2020 with another man after having visited a number of licenced venues when the brothers and their group of friends entered the area.
All of the men involved had been drinking.
An initial fight broke out between Mr Martin and other members of the Martin-Mantons’ group.
Punches were exchanged in various directions and the brothers inflicted numerous stab wounds and other wounds upon Mr Martin.
The court heard Tory picked up the neck of a broken Jack Daniels bottle and his brother then armed himself with another broken bottle.
Mr Martin received “numerous” wounds, including to his neck, back, head and shoulder.
The court heard Tory suffered an eye injury serious enough for police to take him to Byron Central Hospital.
Judge Warwick Hunt found both of the men, who penned letters of apology to the court, were remorseful for their actions.
They both received three year intensive correction orders which will expire on November 4, 2024.
Among other conditions, they will be explicitly prohibited from taking any prohibited drugs under the orders.
Kurt William Nicholls
A Bray Park man has been jailed after police found thousands of images and videos of child porn on his computer.
Kurt William Nicholls, 27, was sentenced in Tweed Heads Local Court in October for dissemination or possession of child abuse material.
According to court papers, police found images and videos of pre-pubescent girls and boys engaged in sexual activity and adult men with pre-pubescent girls.
Police say it appeared Nicholls had gathered a large amount of child abuse material over an extensive period of time.
Officers raided a home on May 5, 2021 and seized a hard drive from the computer where they located thousands of images and videos of child abuse material along with videos of Nicholls filming himself playing video games.
Magistrate Geoff Dunlevy convicted and sentenced Nicholls to 15 months in jail. He will be eligible for parole on January 18, 2023.
Isaac Lehane
A 26-year-old man had been enraged by a dispute over rent when he lit a fire which destroyed a former pro surfer’s home and resulted in the death of a dog.
Isaac Lehane, 26, appeared in Tweed Heads Local Court in December where he was sentenced after pleading guilty to damaging property by fire worth more than $15,000.
Lochlan Hynd and Lehane were drinking and smoking marijuana on September 16, 2019, on the property they both lived on owned by Derek Hynd, when they started to argue.
The argument started over minor things before turning to rent. Lochlan told Lehane he had to leave.
The pair argued before Lehane came out holding a metal pole like object and Lochlan picked up a machete and said: “Are you seriously going to try to kill me? Are you going to die tonight?”
Lochlan returned to the house where he took sleeping medication and the household was asleep by midnight.
Between 15 to 20 minutes later Derek heard a sound of bottles dropping on the floor outside Lochlan’s room, there Lehane had lit a piece of cardboard on fire which was on a window covering a broken spot.
The house was burned to the ground and a dog perished in the fire, all up an estimated damage of $254,680.
Lehane was sentenced to two years in jail with a 14-month non-parole period, backdated to October 2.
Lehane will be eligible for parole on December 1, 2022.
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