Belinda Marriott living in Wyong housing block arms herself with makeshift weapons, lives in fear

Residents have detailed a life of fear living in what they dub “Ice Palace” with one resident hiding makeshift weapons in her home for self defence. Read how she overcame her own drug battles.

Residents of the Central Coast’s most notorious public housing units, where a man was allegedly held captive, tortured and murdered, could be forgiven for sleeping with makeshift weapons under their pillows.

The Daily Telegraph spoke to residents of the Levitt St, Wyong, home who detailed the issues of drug use and violence in the block.

The housing commission block of units located at Levitt st Wyong. Picture: John Grainger

Belinda Marriott’s life was one chain reaction of poor decisions after another until she ended up at Levitt St.

The former meth and heroin addict had been clean for three years but “living here I started using again”.

It was the last straw for her then 18-year-old son Adam Marriott who moved to Queensland to start a new life.

Belinda Marriott holding a meat tendering hammer she keeps for protection. inside her unit in a housing commission complex 7-5 Levitt street dubbed “The Ice Palace“ Wyong, where a murder was discovered in a neighbouring apartment last week. Picture John Grainger

Adam Marriott, Belinda Marriott's son who was killed in Queensland last year. Picture John Grainger

“He got out of here because I was a drug user,” the 44-year-old said.

But her beloved boy’s new life had barely begun when the 21-year-old died in a house fire at Leichhardt St in the Gold Coast suburb of Coomera on February 9 last year. A man has been charged with murder, arson and unlawful stalking and the matter is still before Queensland courts.

A knife stuck in a fan seen inside Belinda Marriott unit in a housing commission complex 7-5 Levitt street dubbed “The Ice Palace“ Wyong, where a murder was discovered in a neighbouring apartment last week. Belinda has weapons stashed in her bedroom for protection. Picture: John Grainger

Ms Marriott has two tear drop tattoos on her cheek – one for her brother Kevin who committed suicide five years ago and one for her son Adam.

“I’m not a crier so I have these,” she said.

“I have been clean for nine months. It took my son to get killed for me to get clean.”

Ms Marriott leaves her front door open for an hour or so in the morning for some fresh air but by midday “I will lock my house up”.

A meat hammer on the end of a bed inside Belinda Marriott’s unit in a housing commission complex residents have dubbed “The Ice Palace”. Picture: John Grainger

Levitt street Wyong a housing commission block. Picture: John Grainger

She has another tattoo of a gargoyle on her forearm “to keep evil spirits away” and sleeps with a piece of wire known as a “garrotte” hanging from the front post of her bed.

Other makeshift weapons within reach include a pair of scissors on a nearby set of shelves and a meat tenderiser hanging from the foot of her bed.

“Am I scared? All the time,” she said.

“I came home and my door is kicked in. I tried to get transferred. These flats need to be pulled down. Once you in here you can’t get out.”

Ms Marriott also believes her dog was poisoned.

But she said it was even worse a few years ago when “we had needles everywhere”.

“We call this the `Ice Palace’ or just the ‘ice block’,” she said.