Mitchell Craig, 24, jailed for brutal Doncaster East home invasion
A wannabe gangster from the leafy eastern suburbs filmed himself rapping about “flying off the hook” and “dying just for fun” three weeks before he knifed three people in a savage Doncaster East home invasion. WATCH
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A wannabe gangster from the leafy eastern suburbs filmed himself rapping about violence just weeks before he stabbed three people during a Doncaster East home invasion.
Mitchell Craig, 24, was sentenced in the County Court on November 25 to a minimum five years and three months’ prison after pleading guilty to several charges including aggravated burglary and recklessly causing serious injury.
Craig, from Blackburn, was on bail when he stormed his victim’s Doncaster East home just after midnight on February 3 this year.
The balaclava-clad fiend – intent on stealing cannabis – used a knife to threaten several victims inside the house.
He ran up to one victim from behind, duct taped his mouth, dragged him to the kitchen and attempted to stab him.
The victim sustained an injury after fending the knife away.
Craig got his weapon back and “menaced” a female victim asking her: “where is the weed?”
He threatened another man after the female victim cried for help.
Craig dragged this man into the kitchen, pushed him against the fridge and pressed the knife to his throat.
“Give me the f***in’ bud or I’ll slit your f***in’ throat,” Craig said.
The victim and another man fought back but Craig stabbed them both.
He then ran from the house leaving “blood everywhere”.
The injured victims were taken to hospital for emergency treatment.
Two of the men stabbed were tradesmen who were unable to work for weeks after the attack.
Several of the victims were able to identify Craig.
Police searched his home later that day and found duct tape with Craig’s fingerprints and blood on a doorknob.
Craig, on bail for serious violence offences at the time for which he was later sentenced to 16 months’ prison, was arrested the next day.
Judge Michael Tinney said the scene was “just total mayhem” which left one victim with a “slightly horrifying” injury.
“This all so easily could have left you sitting in the dock of the Supreme Court,” he said.
The court heard Craig’s “pretty disturbing criminal history” included several charges for assault and recklessly causing injury.
“You are no silly teenager launching forth on your first offending,” Judge Tinney said.
“Courts have bent over backwards to limit your exposure to … detention or prison but to no avail.
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“There is now a strong need to deter you and protect the community from you.”
The court also heard Craig grew up in a loving family.
His Facebook profile features photos of himself drinking, doing drugs and graffiti.
Craig also posted a video of himself rapping about violence and drugs while smoking cannabis.
Craig, who also pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury and threatening to commit serious injury, was sentenced to a maximum eight years and two months’ prison.
He had spent 105 days in custody at the time of sentencing.