Justin Bennis: Man pleads guilty to Bulli siege at mother’s home

The violent antics of a man who unleashed mayhem when police knocked at his mother’s door, threatening officers with a machete as two nearby childcare centres were forced into lockdown, has been detailed for the first time.

A man whose “manic” actions in his mother’s unit led to two childcare centres going into lockdown has fronted court.

Justin Maxwell Bennis, of Bulli, appeared via video link in Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to three counts of harassing a police officer in execution of duty and two counts of resisting a police officer in the execution of duty.

The 38-year-old pleaded not guilty to a charge of intimidation connected to the incident on October 7, as well as four driving charges including driving while disqualified, driving recklessly, failing to stop for police and not disclosing details with police.

Court documents detailing the event state Bennis was “very well known to police” and had a “propensity to commit acts of violence against police”.

The documents state police attended an address at Point St, Bulli where Bennis was temporarily living with his mother to speak to him about the driving charges dating back to August.

Justin Bennis appeared in Wollongong Local Court via video link.

As police approached, they could allegedly hear him and co-accused Michelle Kathrine Blackwell yelling for them to “f**k off” with Bennis appearing at the kitchen window wielding a 40cm machete and a metal pole with a knife on the end of it.

The police facts describe Bennis as “extremely agitated, manic, sweating and rambling” with the man swinging the weapons around the kitchen and smashing into items.

Bennis’ mother was inside, however, he wouldn’t let the police approach her and she appeared apprehensive to move out of the lounge room to speak to them.

Officers established a perimeter around the unit complex with the siege also sending nearby childcare centres Point Street Early Learning Centre and Sandon Point Children’s Centre into lockdown.

The court documents state the mother managed to escape through the front door unharmed while Bennis and Blackwell allegedly “appeared to be acting together in a common purpose” with the former holding a knife to the latter’s throat while she allegedly continued yelling “obscenities” at police.

At one point, Bennis opened the front door and raised the machete above his head before “moving quickly” towards the police who deployed pepper spray and a taser, leading him to retreat back inside the premises.

Justin Bennis ran at police with a 40cm machete.

At 5.45pm, the siege came to its conclusion with the man running at police with a small kitchen knife before being tasered and arrested.

Blackwell was also arrested, however, she allegedly kicked and lashed out at police as she was being handcuffed.

Police seized the machete and kitchen knife as well as a green crossbow from the unit.

.

In court on Tuesday, the driving matters were adjourned until next month with Bennis pleading with Magistrate Gabriel Fleming to finalise the other matters there and then.

Ms Fleming refused, citing the need for a mental health assessment to be completed before returning on December 13.

“I‘ll be dead by then,” Bennis said.

An apprehended violence order preventing Bennis from contacting his mother was also extended to the date he returns to court.

Blackwell, 51, previously pleaded not guilty to being armed with an intent to commit an indictable offence, assaulting a police officer, using an offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention and three counts of resisting or hindering a police officer in the execution of duty.

She is on bail and will return to Wollongong Local Court on December 1.