Melbourne ‘vigilante’ Brayden Cannon pleads guilty to home invasion and false imprisonment

A vigilante plumber from Melbourne’s outer east threatened to shoot another man who was held captive during a misguided revenge mission.

Melbourne ‘vigilante’ Brayden Cannon pleaded guilty to home invasion and false imprisonment. Facebook.

An apprentice plumber threatened to shoot another man during a “misguided vigilantism” mission in Melbourne’s outer east.

Brayden Cannon, 29, was sentenced in the County Court on Thursday to a minimum 23-month jail term after pleading guilty to home invasion and false imprisonment.

Cannon rocked up to a Kilsyth home for a “quick chat” with the victim just after 10am on April 8 last year.

Cannon, an unemployed apprentice plumber, was driven to the property in a Ford Ranger, the court heard was owned by an alleged co-accused.

The victim, who was visiting his girlfriend, was lured into the Ranger and taken for a drive after Cannon told him “they were going to make a quick trip to the milk bar”.

Cannon, who also pleaded guilty to assault and armed robbery, warned the victim he was armed while they drove towards Mt Dandenong Rd.

“I have a gun down my pants,” Cannon said.

“If you don’t do anything stupid today you might make it home in one piece... otherwise, I am gonna shoot you in the knee if you try to get away.”

The court heard the co-accused, who is still awaiting a pre-trial hearing, allegedly “produced a metal implement” and warned the victim to behave.

“Or we’ll smack you with this if you don’t listen,” the co-accused allegedly said.

Cannon, who appeared via videolink from Barwon, stopped the Ranger at a red-light where the victim attempted to flee the vehicle.

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However, the child locks were enabled and the victim copped another warning from Cannon.

“What the f--k did I just tell you,” Cannon said.

Cannon then demanded the victim’s wallet and mobile phone and also took $600 cash.

The victim “covertly” handed Cannon his work phone while retaining his personal phone, the court was told.

Cannon then warned his prisoner he knew where he lived and he “would send people to his home” should the victim lag.

Cannon also threatened the victim’s family in the “same terms”.

The co-accused also allegedly said if Cannon “could not get to him” then “her people would” and “they could kill him”.

Cannon drove to the victim’s Croydon South home where he opened the Ranger door, raised his fist and warned the man “not to do anything silly”.

Cannon grabbed two large kitchen knives which he waved around and threatened to “slice” the victim with after the pair entered the home.

The victim was forced to disconnect his “surveillance system” while his house was ransacked and items including an Apple Watch, a Diezel Mr Daddy watch, an iPad Mini, a laptop and a Nixxon watch were stolen.

Cannon also demanded the keys to the man’s Harley Davidson but the victim claimed the motorcycle keys were back at his girlfriend’s house.

The victim answered a call from his girlfriend and said “help” just before Cannon snatched the phone.

Cannon advanced at the victim while waving the knives but a knock at the front door momentarily halted him

“Find out who it (is)...,” Cannon said.

Cannon then punched the victim in the jaw.

“Hurry the f--k up,” Cannon said.

The victim opened the door to a work colleague who had visited to collect a gas bottle.

The colleague spotted Cannon with the knife and asked “what was happening” before the thug assailant slammed the door shut.

Cannon then ordered the victim to “exit calmly and return to the Ranger” but the man made a dash for freedom and yelled out to his colleague to call police.

The court heard the victim hid in the bushes for about “10 to 15 minutes” before he returned home to find his girlfriend and colleague at the property.

The victim’s ordeal at the hands of Cannon lasted about 40 minutes, the court was told.

Another person later gave back the victim’s wallet and $600 and Cannon sent the man’s girlfriend a text the next day which said he “regretted his actions”.

Cannon is a father of two.

Cannon, a father of two, was arrested and remanded shortly after.

Cannon, who grew up in Melbourne’s outer east, told police he was “drug affected” during the entire violent ordeal.

Cannon also claimed he went after the victim because he believed the man was mistreating and bashing his girlfriend.

The defence submitted Cannon’s offending was “misguided vigilantism”.

The court heard these violence allegations were not true and Cannon had been “provided with incorrect information”.

Judge Daniel Holding slammed Cannon for his vigilante quest.

“The court simply can’t tolerate people taking the law into their own hands and threatening people with violence...,” Judge Holding said.

“Your conduct must be denounced and you must be punished appropriately and justly for your actions...”

Cannon, who had spent 490 days on remand, was jailed for a maximum of 33 months.