Court: Matthew Bilotta, Lara Buttriss, Grace Buttriss charged with break in, hammer attack on residents

Three young people from south western Sydney allegedly broke into a home and attacked the two residents with a hammer, a court has heard.

Three young people from south western Sydney allegedly broke into a home and attacked the two residents with a hammer, a court has heard.

Matthew John Bilotta, 25, from Hill Top, Lara Buttriss, 23, from Oran Park and Grace Therese Buttriss, 18, from Harrington Park faced Moss Vale court on Tuesday to apply for bail.

All three have been charged with aggravated break and enter to commit a serious indictable offence in company and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in the company of others.

Police allege the trio broke into a home on Onslow Ave in Camden at around 6.30pm on February 5 and assaulted the two residents.

A trio of young people allegedly broke into a home on Onslow Ave in Camden and attacked the two residents with a hammer. Picture: Google

During the fight, the court heard Lara Buttriss was accused of entering the home and wielding a hammer to cause actual bodily harm to the two male occupants of the house.

The shared lawyer for the defence, Chris Hammond, told the court there was no evidence that the trio had been armed with the hammer when they allegedly approached the home.

“There is no suggestion that the weapon was brought to the house with the intention of using it,” he said.

“It appears to be a spur of the moment thing.”

The court heard police will rely on a recording from an intercepted phone call of Mr Bilotta talking about trying to find a “standover man” to threaten and intimidate the witnesses and force them to withdraw their evidence.

Police prosecutor Peter Robinson said Grace Buttriss was allegedly party to the phone conversation but there is no suggestion she agreed with his proposal.

Magistrate Mark Douglass said the charges didn’t match the facts laid out by police in their alleged sequence of events.

“I have been told the facts don’t really gel well with the charges at the moment, particularly with the use of the hammer,” he said.

The court heard Lara and Grace Buttriss are sisters and Mr Bilotta is Lara’s former partner, with whom she has a child and an amicable relationship.

Mr Robinson said the prosecution were concerned the three young people would endanger the safety of the alleged victims if they were granted bail.

Grace Buttriss is a disability worker with no criminal record who lives with her elder sister, the court heard. She was granted bail by Magistrate Douglass and forbidden from approaching Onslow Ave or contacting the alleged victims or Mr Bilotta.

Mr Hammond said Lara Buttriss also has no prior convictions but is a single mother who needs to care for her children. The magistrate reviewed the “powerful subjectives” and determined to grant the 23-year-old strict bail which includes a curfew and a direction not to enter Onslow Ave or contact Mr Bilotta.

All three accused appeared in Moss Vale court on February 8 to apply for bail. Picture: Wesley Lonergan

“I went very close to refusing your bail today,” Magistrate Douglass said.

“Despite the fact that it’s alleged you went after one or two people with a hammer, the court is of the view that these bail conditions will ensure the safety of the community.”

Despite not having an extensive record, the court heard Mr Bilotta had only been released from prison a month before the alleged break and enter. Magistrate Douglass said the Hill Top resident was still on parole for the violent offences when he was allegedly involved in this incident.

“He’d only just been released from custody on January 11 and now he’s involved in an allegation of violence,” he said.

He refused Mr Bilotta’s bail application.

The three will return to Picton Court on March 25.