Jake Castner, Tim Cakebread, Brittney Willoughby laugh in court

Ballarat thugs who stormed Melbourne homes where people were sleeping while armed have laughed and joked while facing court.

Willoughby and Castner were in a relationship at the time of the crimes.

Thugs who forced their way into homes, where people were sleeping, with a metal pole, terrifying five victims, have laughed and joked around while facing up to their crimes.

Jake Castner, 25, fronted the County Court on Tuesday, pleading guilty to charges including three counts of aggravated burglary and conduct endangering persons.

Castner, who broke into three occupied homes, also threw a metal pole, knives, tyre level and alcohol bottles at police cars during a high speed chase through Ballarat CBD right before he was arrested.

The court heard Castner, his friend, Timothy Cakebread, 29, and an unknown man stormed two homes early on July 31, 2019, wearing masks and hoodies and armed with a metal pole and a torch.

They forced open the front door of a Hoppers Crossing home, where a family of four were sleeping, about 4.30am and stole keys and car keys before they were confronted by a male.

They got into a scuffle with the man — leading to the victim injuring his ankle — before they managed to flee in a stolen Holden they arrived in.

Jake Castner broke into three occupied homes.

The group then helped themselves into a Manor Lakes home about 7.15am, where a young woman was alone.

They confronted her, demanding to know where the safe was, then held her in a bathroom as they ransacked the house, stealing items including jewellery, electronics, passports and clothing.

They told her they would assault her with the torch if she didn’t say where ‘the cash’ was, then demanded she reveal the pin to a bank card, and told her they would harm the owner of the house if she contacted police.

They then left, stealing her car, and withdrew $200 from her bank account at Manor Lakes Central Shopping Centre.

Castner was arrested that afternoon after he was the passenger in a car police chased through Ballarat CBD about 1pm.

As the driver drove recklessly at high speed, Castner threw a metal pole, knives, tyre level and alcohol bottles out the sunroof at the multiple police cars, before the car he was in crashed into a paddock and he was arrested.

Two days earlier Castner and his then girlfriend, Brittany Willhoughby, 20, had gone to a Bulleen home, where a couple and their young child were sleeping.

Castner had forced open the front door and stole valuable items before the couple used the victims’ bank cards in Ashburton.

It was heard Cakebread was arrested on August 8, 2019 after police found him driving a stolen ute at more than 100km/h through Ballarat CBD on the wrong side of the road.

He crashed into a bus carrying special needs passengers then hit a traffic light pole, knocking it out of the ground, and came to a stop outside Ballarat Grammar.

He ran from police but was quickly arrested.

Castner and Cakebread laughed and gestured to each other while appearing via webcam from prison during the online plea hearing.

They appeared to take turns shaking their mullets towards the cameras, and also gestured salutes and flapped their arms while laughing and smiling as their crimes were heard.

Cakebread, who was pleading guilty to charges including aggravated burglary and conduct endangering life, took his trainers off during the hearing and laughed as he propped his feet on the desk in front of him.

Willoughby, who pleaded guilty to charges including burglary and theft, also laughed as she visually communicated with the pair.

The court heard all three offenders were unemployed and had criminal histories.

Castner’s lawyer submitted his client, who had spent 640 days in custody, had an intellectual disability and had experienced an awful childhood, during which his drug use began.

It was heard the Ballarat man had not been given parole during his last jail sentence and was at risk of institutionalisation.

Cakebread’s lawyer also argued his Sebastopol client, who had spent 652 days on remand, was at risk of institutionalisation following previous jail sentences.

It was heard Willoughby, who had spent 58 days in jail before being granted bail, had since done a drug detox rehabilitation program and had become pregnant.

Judge Todd agreed to defer Willoughby’s sentence until October so the Wendouree woman could continue to demonstrate her rehabilitation.

Castner and Cakebread will be sentenced in August.