Connor Kennedy, Jesse Brooks front court over Norlane affray, crime sprees

A pair of thieves who threatened a woman with a knife and a fake gun, as her young son begged them not to hurt her, have pleaded guilty to crimes across Geelong.

Connor Kennedy (left) and Jesse Brooks both pleaded guilty to a raft of charges each, including in connection to a violent incident in Norlane last year.

A pair of thieves who threatened a Norlane woman with a fake gun and knife as her young son pleaded with them not to hurt her, have fronted court.

Connor Kennedy, 23, and Jesse Brooks, 28, appeared virtually in the Magistrates Court on Monday afternoon for a joint plea hearing before magistrate Gerard Bryant, who heard their matters remotely from Colac.

Kennedy, who appeared via prison link from Fulham Correctional Centre in Gippsland, pleaded guilty to charges across seven separate criminal matters, while Brooks, who appeared via videolink from the Metropolitan Remand Centre in Ravenhall, pleaded guilty to charges stemming from five matters.

The two men’s matters were not related, except one incident that occurred on August 1, last year, in which the two men went to home on Jay St, Norlane to collect the belongings of an associate.

The pair became aggressive after the occupant of the home refused to let them inside.

During the incident, the woman armed herself with a “pole with knives taped to it”, but she was disarmed, and threatened by Kennedy, who held a knife to her throat, and Brooks who had a lighter in the shape of a gun and held it to her head, threatening to shoot her.

A neighbour who came out to investigate was hit in the head and lost consciousness after falling to the ground.

Throughout the incident, the woman – whose mother and young son were present – was on the phone with detectives from the Geelong Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) who overheard much of the altercation.

Her son was heard saying: “please don’t kill my mummy” during the incident, the court heard.

Kennedy also pleaded to breaching his parole and his involvement in burglary and car thefts, thefts from cars and petrol drive-offs in July last year.

Brooks also pleaded to charges including criminal damage, dangerous driving and thefts spanning June and July 2024.

After hearing the summaries of the pair’s offending, Mr Bryant warned their counsel that their clients were “looking at significant terms of imprisonment”.

Barrister Merran Shanahan, for Kennedy, submitted a combination sentence of jail plus a lengthy community corrections order (CCO) would best foster the rehabilitation of her client.

She argued he had only had one prior opportunity to complete a CCO, in 2020, and had successfully completed parole, bar one drinking alcohol on one occasion.

Kennedy, who was diagnosed with ADHD at age six, had a loving, stable childhood, Ms Shanahan said, but his drug use escalated when he was 17 following the death of his mother.

The court heard that Kennedy had a potential work opportunity upon release thanks to his older brother, who himself had a criminal record but had turned his life around.

Kennedy wanted to “follow in his footsteps”, Ms Shanahan said.

Brooks’ lawyer Shelley Wilkinson told the court her client had an acquired brain injury and had been diagnosed with a cognitive impairment.

Her submissions relied on a psychological report, the court heard, which outlined how these factors affected the father-of-two.

Brooks started using drugs from the age of 12 and had a “difficult schooling history”, Ms Wilkinson said.

However, Brooks, whose mother attended the hearing online, had a “very safe and secure” home life, and his parents remain supportive.

Brooks is also facing breach proceedings in the County Court, relating to a previous CCO.

Mr Bryant said he would have both men assessed for CCOs, but said he made no promises that would be the ultimate outcome, as he was not yet persuaded that parole sentences weren’t appropriate.

Both men will reappear in court on May 6.

Originally published as Connor Kennedy, Jesse Brooks front court over Norlane affray, crime sprees