Whitebridge: Charlestown man jailed over death of Philip Steele in violent home invasion
A Charlestown man had a life of drugs, binge drinking and crime before he joined two other men in a violent home invasion in Whitebridge which saw the brutal death of Philip Steele.
Newcastle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Newcastle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- ‘My dad is El Chappo’: Delayed sentenced for Bar Beach stand-off
- Bail granted for teen charged over taxi crash that injured young mum
A Charlestown man, armed with a baseball bat and disguised with a face mask, climbed through the window of a small-time drug dealer with two other men in what played out as a “manifestly brutal” home invasion which ultimately resulted in the death of a man.
The now 21-year-old — who cannot be named for legal reason — was sentenced to at least 11 years and three months jail, convicted of the murder of 60-year-old Philip Steele at his Whitebridge home on December 17, 2018.
The court heard the offender, whose drug use was “out of control”, had accepted an invitation by two other men to rob the Lonus Ave address, and despite seeing one of the others with a machete, was “scared” to pull out for fear he would become angry.
Police facts detailed how the Charlestown man helped one of the men through the window with a chair at around 2.25am, before chaotic scenes ensued.
With two of Mr Steele’s brothers also in the home at the time, he pleaded for the trio not to hurt him yelling “people are here and they have knives”, before he was stabbed multiple times by one of the men, while the then 19-year-old struck him with the baseball bat three to four times.
The court heard the brothers found Mr Steele lying semi-conscious on the bedroom floor, with a large amount of blood throughout the house.
“I thought it would never come to this, just over a couple of thousand dollars,” Mr Steele said according to police facts.
Ultimately, he would never overcome his injuries, with 23 stab wounds to his body and 28 blunt force injuries sustained.
Shortly after the attack, the fleeing trio were intercepted by police as a pursuit took place, but they lost sight of the vehicle which was dumped in bushland in Charlestown.
The court heard the Charlestown man returned to his home and put his clothes in a bag and sprayed disinfectant on them because of the smell. But he was arrested at his home two days later.
A victim impact statement previously read in court from a family member’s of Mr Steele said he was a humble, genuine, sincere and loyal man, and the consequence of his death had been dire for the family.
The Charlestown man who appeared via video link looked distressed as he listened to a history of his life, which involved the suicide of his father, which sparked his life to spiral out of control, with drugs, binge drinking and crime.
Newcastle Supreme Court Justice Robert Hulme said it was significant that after seeing one of the men holding a machete, that he continued with the criminal enterprise and entered the premises, but noting he did have fears.
“He continued to be involved because he feared what he would do to him,” Justice Hulme said.
“He continued to involve himself because he did not have the strength and will.
“Home invasion offenders are a frightening concern to law abiding citizens and there must be deterrence.”
He told the court he was satisfied with his remorse, with a report noting he was “utterly disgusted” by the attack and made consideration for the evidence he will be giving against both the other men.
He was sentenced to a total of 15 years with a non-parole period of 11 years 3 months, which means with time already spent he’ll be eligible for release in March 2030.
“If there wasn’t a plea of guilty, the sentence would have been 25 years,” Judge Hulme said.
One of the men has pleaded guilty and will reappear in court in March next year, while the other will head to trial in February.