Chadstone: David Mitchell pleads guilty to home invasion, intentionally causing injury

The victim of a violent Chadstone assault said he felt his head fill with pressure before it split open after he was bashed in his home.

A Chadstone man has admitted to breaking into a bungalow and beating his victim over the head with a metal pole.

David Mitchell, 23, pleaded guilty in the Melbourne County Court on Tuesday to one charge of home invasion and one charge of intentionally causing injury.

The court heard Mitchell hit the victim over the head with a sharp, metal pole before fleeing the scene.

In April 2021 the victim woke late at night to the sound of footsteps around his bungalow on Waverly Rd in Chadstone.

The court heard he called out asking, “who is there?” before his door was violently kicked in by Mitchell, who was known to him.

Mitchell was seen by the victim carrying a sharp, steel pole which he used to hit the victim over the head.

The court heard the victim felt his head fill with pressure and then split open.

The victim attempted to shut the offender out of his room by closing the door on them.

Eventually Mitchell fled the property.

The court heard he threatened to make the victim “pay” if they called the police.

The victim attended the Monash hospital before being taken to the trauma team at the Alfred for treatment of a large laceration on his head and a smaller one on his chin.

Mitchell’s defence argued for a combination sentence as his PTSD diagnosis would make the burden of imprisonment too great.

Mitchell has spent 433 days in pre-sentence detention. He will return to the County Court for sentencing.