Gippsland Nyora thugs Michael Harris and Nicholas ‘Nick’ Hill jailed for Officer home invasion
A Gippsland dad believed his partner was having an affair so he and his crony drove 50km to baseball bat bash the wrong man.
South East
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A Gippsland dad and his drunk workmate drove more than 50km before storming a home in Melbourne’s southeast where they savagely beat and throttled a man.
Michael Harris, 32, and Nicholas ‘Nick’ Hill, 32, were both sentenced in the County Court on Friday after pleading guilty to home invasion
Harris and Hill, who also both pleaded guilty to intentionally cause injury, stormed their victim’s Officer home on August 26 last year.
The court heard Harris had a “grievance” with a man who they believed resided at the house.
Harris and Hill, both of Nyora in Gippsland, drove more than 50 km before the pair arrived and broke into the home just after 1.30am.
Harris and Hill, who was armed with a baseball bat, kicked in the front door and attacked their victim who was on the phone to police at the time.
Harris grabbed the victim, who was not the man he was after, and put him in a headlock.
Hill also struck the victim with his baseball bat.
Harris grabbed the victim’s throat while Hill punched the man.
The thugs repeatedly asked their victim where the man Harris had a grievance was but the frightened victim said he didn’t know who or where that man was.
Harris then headbutted the victim and Hill took off his belt, forced it around the victim’s neck and slung him to the floor.
Hill then dragged the victim to his feet and Harris punched the man’s face.
Cops arrived and arrested the pair.
Investigators also discovered the victim with the belt still around his neck.
The victim, who missed work and quit playing sport after the attack, suffered a broken nose, broken teeth and several other injuries.
Hill told police he was “not proud” about putting the belt around his victim’s neck and “didn’t know why he did it”.
The court heard Harris, who worked at a quarry, has multiple criminal priors including serving jail time for home invasion.
Harris, a father, suspected his partner had been cheating on with another man which is why he went to the Officer home.
The court heard Harris and Hill were work colleagues who had been drinking alcohol together prior to the home invasion.
Hill, who has no criminal priors, worked at his father’s car wreckers business with Harris at the time of offending.
Judge Michael Cahill said home invasion is a “particularly nasty form of criminal conduct”.
(The victim) was entitled to feel safe in his home … no doubt he was terrified when the two of you confronted him in the middle of the night …,” Judge Cahill said.
“You forced entry into the (victim’s) home which was a frightening ordeal for him …”
Harris was jailed for a maximum four-year term with a minimum of two years and six months.
Hill was jailed for a maximum three-year term with a minimum of 18 months.
