Man accused of frightening attack on radio star Kate Langbroek at her St Kilda home faces court
TERRIFYING details of the alleged attack on radio star Kate Langbroek at her St Kilda home — metres from where her children were sleeping — have been heard in court.
Inner South
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TERRIFYING details of the alleged attack on radio star Kate Langbroek at her St Kilda home, metres from where her children were sleeping, have been heard in court.
Sembeta Defa, 38, faced the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today over the March 2 incident involving radio star Kate Langbroek in her St Kilda home.
He has been charged with multiple counts of assault and attempted aggravated burglary, and is expected to plead guilty.
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The court heard Mr Defa had turned up at Langbroek’s house, armed with a 40cm metal bar and a skewer, late on a Friday night.
He kicked the door of Ms Langbroek’s house, shouting “this is my bloody home, this is my f---ing home”.
The incident left Langbroek bruised, and husband Peter Lewis’ children, aged 14, 11 and 8, were home at the time.
The two youngest were in bed in the front room of the house, closest to where Mr Defa was attempting to get in.
The court heard Mr Defa ran at Langbroek’s babysitter Annabelle as she left the family’s home and followed her to her car parked a few doors down.
She tried to lock herself inside her car but Mr Defa got into the passenger side, and Annabelle ran back to Langbroek’s home.
Mr Defa allegedly followed shouting at her: “Don’t you dare f---ing go back into that house”.
Langbroek’s husband Peter Lewis went out to see what was happening and spotted Mr Defa across the road.
Mr Defa then allegedly ran back towards the home, pushing past Langbroek at the front gate with enough force to leave her bruised and grazed.
Langbroek and Lewis ran back to the front door and slammed it shut, where Langbroek locked it and pushed her foot against it to brace it.
Mr Defa eventually gave up, the court heard, and Mr Lewis watched as he banged on the door of a neighbouring home, waking up the occupant.
Police then arrived, wrestled him to the ground, arrested him and took him to St Kilda Police Station.
Mr Defa’s lawyer Chris Hooper, said his client had a long history of mental health issues and drug use, and at the time of the attack was “having an episode” and believed he lived at Ms Langbroek’s address.
“He claimed he thought he lived there and it’s not implausible he felt that way (given his history),” Mr Hooper said
The matter was adjourned and will return to court on July 24, with Mr Defa to undergo a mental health assessment before.
Langbroek in March publicly blamed notorious boarding house The Regal for skyrocketing crime, violence, prostitution and drug use around her home near Grey St St Kilda.
She said closure of The Gatwick boarding house on Fitzroy St saw its troubled residents relocate to The Regal in the Grey St precinct nearby.
She then demanded politicians do something to better protect the St Kilda community from drug use and violence.
“People have to rise up and say what you are doing is not working. It’s an election year and the people we’ve elected have to sort this out,” Langbroek said in March.
Asked then whether she would consider moving from St Kilda, Langbroek was defiant.
“We love it there and we’ve put our roots down there.”
Langbroek later tweeted a picture to Housing Minister and Albert Park State Labor MP Martin Foley that showed a large bruise on her forearm.
“This is the bruise I sustained trying to keep that ‘vulnerable’ resident from kicking our front door in on Friday night,” she wrote.
“The real vulnerable are the decent citizens of St Kilda. We await your action.”
A list of charges against Mr Defa expected to be released this afternoon.
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