Briley Mallia: Drunk Bendigo home invader smeared blood on walls as kids hid in fear

A drunk Bendigo home invader who smeared a woman’s home with his blood as her kids hid in fear has been sentenced in court.

A petrified woman had to lock herself and her kids inside a bedroom while a crazed Bendigo home invader smeared his blood on the walls of her house and threatened to kill her, a court has heard.

Briley Mallia, 21, was jailed in the Bendigo County Court on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to trespassing, making a threat to kill, property damage, assaulting a police officer, and aggravated burglary.

Mallia, an unemployed father-of-one, said he had no memory of the crimes, which he committed after a drinking bender at Huntly, northeast of Bendigo, in February.

The court heard an 81-day stint in prison followed by time in rehab, had reformed the 21-year-old father who now had aspirations to become a social worker.

The court heard he became increasingly agitated as the night wore on, and that his victim locked him out of her house after he began calling her a junkie and asking about whether she could get him any meth.

Mallia then told the woman he was going to kill her, smashing items against the side of the house and through a window.

Supplied Editorial Briley Mallia

Inside, and bleeding heavily from climbing through broken glass, Mallia began smearing his blood onto the walls of the house while yelling at his victim and her children, who had locked themselves inside a bedroom.

Mallia fled on child’s bicycle, and belted a police officer while being treated by paramedics.

The woman said her children struggled to make sense of what happened, and still suffer from nightmares.

“We have set up a home we want to feel safe in, but don’t,” the woman said.

“I constantly check the locks on the doors.

“The image of his blood all over (my home) comes into my mind constantly.”

In an informal conversation with Aboriginal Elders as part of Koori Court sentencing proceedings, Mallia said he felt “sick to my guts” hearing his victim detail the impact of his crimes on her and her family.

He said he still didn’t remember the night, and “wasn’t 100 per cent sure on how it all played out”.

One of the elders, Aunty Jacqui Stewart, told Mallia he needed to understand “first and foremost, what drinking does to you”.

She said he had no excuse to assault the police officer, and needed to “look beyond the uniform” and understand police are “just doing their job”.

Judge Rosemary Carlin said the young father had a clean history before this event, despite psychological evidence of alcohol and anger management issues.

“You went from nothing to committing an offence with a maximum penalty of 25 years, ” Judge Carlin said.

Despite the shocking offending she said Mallia was on the path to rehabilitation, having stopped drinking, attended rehab and started treatment for his anger management.

The court heard Mallia wanted to become a social worker.

On Wednesday August 4, Judge Rosemary Carlin sentenced Mallia to 81 days in prison, already served, and a 12-month community corrections order.

The order will include 150 hours of community service and a focus on mental health, drug and alcohol treatment.