Russell Egan: Baseball bat wielding uncle threatened to ‘cave’ heads in Nyah West

A drunk man in northwest Victoria rocked up to a house at 10pm, hitting one of his victims with a baseball bat and smashing a window.

A window was smashed during an incident in northwest Victoria.

A man showed up at his niece’s house at 10pm with a baseball bat, breaking a window and hitting a man in the shoulder, a court has heard.

Russell Egan, 50, in the County Koori Court last week pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, threat to inflict serious injury and criminal damage.

The court was told Egan on April 18 last year, his 50th birthday, went to a Nyah West house where his niece and her partner lived.

It was 10pm and he was heavily intoxicated.

The niece and partner heard yelling and the sound of glass smashing coming from outside the house, the court was told.

Egan, who had not been invited over, pushed a door open and entered, holding a baseball bat.

The court heard he put three holes in plaster walls and began saying: “I’ll cave you.”

Egan swung the bat at the partner, hitting him on the shoulder.

He said he would “cave his head in”, according to a summary read in court.

Egan continued swinging at items in the house, smashing a bathroom window.

Eventually he was said to have calmed and handed the bat to his niece.

But when police arrived, he attempted to block efforts to let them in, forcing his niece to make a run for the door, the court heard.

He was arrested and was slurring his words when talking to police.

The court was told the niece now felt insecure in her own home.

At an earlier hearing, community elders told Egan to focus on addressing his drinking problem.

Judge Irene Lawson said Egan had developed a dependence on alcohol early in life.

Judge Lawson took into account he had apologised to the victims, his early guilty plea and completion of a mental health plan and drug and alcohol counselling.

Egan was sentenced to a community corrections order with supervision, unpaid community work, treatment and rehabilitation conditions.