Jayden Reed jailed for fiery break and enter that killed Hayden Forrest

A young man has been sentenced for his role in a fiery break-in that threatened the lives of six innocent people and killed his friend.

A young man has been jailed for his role in a fiery break-in that threatened the lives of six innocent people and killed his friend.

Jayden Reed, 25, appeared via audiovisual link in Campbelltown District Court on Friday after pleading guilty to using an offensive weapon to commit an indictable offence and aggravated break and enter to commit a serious indictable offence with people there, with an additional charge of damaging property to be taken into account.

The court heard that on June 1, 2019, the Bradbury resident was with his long-time friend Hayden Forrest when they thought they saw the car of Blake Sutherland, who allegedly owed Forrest money for drugs.

The court heard Forrest had actively been seeking repayment of the debt and had threatened to harm Sutherland’s family if the money was not repaid.

Jayden Reed has been jailed for a fatal home invasion arson attempt in Elderslie which killed his friend. Picture: Facebook

After the two friends had been drinking that afternoon, the court heard they thought they saw Sutherland’s car and approached while Reed was holding a hammer and Forrest had a knife. The court heard they smashed the window of the car, forcing the victims (who were not Mr Sutherland) to drive directly at their car to escape, which caused further damage to the victim’s car.

The court heard Reed and Forrest went to the Elderslie house where Mr Sutherland lived at 10.45pm to retrieve the money owed. Upon being told he wasn’t at home, Forrest told his mother “your junkie son ripped me off, he’s going to pay”.

The two then continued to drink at Forrest’s home before he collected a fuel can and they were picked up by a friend, who drove them back to Elderslie at around 11.30pm.

After arriving at the house, the court heard Forrest approached Mr Sutherland’s car, doused the wheels in petrol and unsuccessfully tried to set it alight with a cigarette lighter.

The occupants of the house heard the car idling outside and saw Forrest standing in the front yard before he kicked down the front door, the court heard. The victims said Forrest and Reed “entered aggressively and were pretty furious going in”, said Judge Christopher O’Brien.

He said Forrest was armed with the jerry can and yelled: “Youse all want to f*** with me, youse are all going to die.”

Hayden Forrest was killed in the house fire at Elderslie after he poured petrol around the home. Picture: Facebook

The court heard he poured petrol throughout the entertainment room and the hall, but became trapped by the fire and died.

The six occupants of the house, including several children, all managed to escape without injury but the fires gutted the house and even damaged a neighbouring home.

The court heard Reed was seen fleeing from the burning house with a cloth over his mouth and getting into his friend’s car, which quickly drove away. When police found the abandoned car later, there were two hammers and a knife inside.

While Judge O’Brien conceded Reed’s conduct was “objectively less serious”, he told the court the offender was part of the joint criminal enterprise. He said Reed foresaw his friend was going to light the fire and intended to cause bodily harm.

“There can be no doubt the offender was a willing and enthusiastic participant,” Judge O’Brien said.

“He was willing to provide Forrest any assistance and support he might need.”

The judge said Reed’s “appalling conduct” appeared to have been motivated by a “misguided sense of loyalty”.

He told the court the victims were exposed to a life-threatening situation and would have been terrified.

“The offence was accompanied by damage to the property and very real trauma to the victims,” he said.

Jayden Reed was supported in court by his family.

Judge O’Brien slammed the “disgraceful” break-in and damaging the car of two people “simply going about their day”, both of which occurred in places where the community are entitled to feel secure.

“(This is) criminal behaviour directed at innocent members of society,” he said.

The court heard Reed, who is a builder, was a regular cocaine user and heavy drinker who had indulged in both on the night of the fire. He also suffers mental health issues and has self-harmed in the past.

Judge O’Brien determined Reed was motivated to turn his life around and said he was satisfied the offender was genuinely remorseful for the offences.

“While he is unable to adequately explain his conduct, I have no doubt he is very sorry for it,” he said.

He sentenced Reed to five years imprisonment with a three year non-parole period. The sentence will be backdated to the beginning of this year, so he will be eligible for release on January 28, 2024.