Wollongong man Allan Lawrence admits to the manslaughter of Morgan Brown in botched drug robbery

A man has admitted to chasing down and killing a would-be home invader, stabbing him six times in a violent confrontation on a suburban street as the masked bandit tried to escape after stealing drugs and cash.

Allan Lawrence pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Picture: Facebook

A relative of a man stabbed to death in a botched robbery has shared how their lives will “never be the same” after the father was chased down and stabbed multiple times following a home invasion targeting drugs and cash.

Morgan Brown was stabbed six times – three in his lungs – on the afternoon of April 24 last year in Mangerton, Wollongong, after he and Denny Williams targeted a Myuna Way unit.

Wollongong District Court heard on Friday how Allan Lawrence, 29, was smoking cannabis with friends inside the unit when Brown and Williams arrived at the door, donning bandannas and armed with a screwdriver.

The court heard how the duo demanded drugs and money and threatened to stab the group if they did not comply.

Brown took a handbag and drugs before he and Williams fled the scene.

Allan Lawrence’s sentence hearing was heard in the Wollongong District Court. Picture: Dylan Arvela

Crown prosecutor Nerissa Keay told the court how Lawrence then said “let’s go get these c--ts” before grabbing a knife and chasing them down.

Lawrence caught up to Brown multiple times during the foot chase, stabbing him a total of six times.

Allan Lawrence will be sentenced on October 17. Picture: Facebook

Brown was treated by paramedics and police at the scene but died later in hospital.

Williams was charged and pleaded guilty to aggravated enter dwelling and larceny.

He was convicted and sentenced in the Wollongong District Court in September to an aggregate two-year intensive corrections order.

Meanwhile, Lawrence was charged with manslaughter and pleaded guilty in May.

The incident occurred on Myuna Way, Mangerton.

The court heard he was originally charged with murder before it was downgraded to manslaughter, as well as two additional charges of affray and wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, which were withdrawn.

Lawrence was arrested days after the incident, refused bail and has remained in custody.

The 29-year-old’s sentence hearing was heard in the Wollongong District Court on Friday, where defence barrister Scott Fraser said his client was acting out of “revenge” in the attack, labelling the ordeal a “heat of the moment” decision.

Mr Fraser submitted his client suffered from a cognitive issue and struggled to make the right choices.

The defence barrister also labelled his client a “victim”, stating Lawrence was threatened by Brown and Williams with a screwdriver before being robbed.

However, Ms Keay said the group was threatened as a whole and said such actions did not justify a man’s death.

“The court cannot condone vigilante responses,” she said.

The submissions came after a victim impact statement, written by a relative of Brown, was read to the court.

They said they thought of him “every day”.

“I drive down the same street every day hoping to see him, but I’ll never be able to see him again,” the letter read.

“He had four kids of his own who are now fatherless.

“It’s time [Lawrence] be held accountable for his actions.”

Judge William Fitzsimmons adjourned the case for sentencing in the Wollongong District Court on October 17.

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