Lisa Cleasby and Travis Siddle cop prison for terrifying Balaclava burglary
A woman who conned her new lover into helping her break into her ex boyfriend’s Balaclava apartment while he wasn’t home came face-to-face with another young woman while she was there and things went downhill fast.
South East
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A jilted ex who conned her new lover into breaking into her former boyfriend’s apartment has copped jail after things went horribly awry.
Lisa Cleasby, 25, was sentenced to nine months’ jail at the County Court on Friday after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary and theft following the July 30 incident in 2018.
Cleasby and her co-accused, Travis Siddle, 35, forced their way into her on-again, off-again squeeze’s Balaclava apartment where they confronted a young woman, a friend of her ex, who was staying there.
Judge Michael Tinney told the court Cleasby and Siddle initially believed no one would be home when they broke in, but when they realised the woman was home alone they decided to enter anyway.
“She opened the door and asked you what you were doing and you ran off down the stairs laughing,” Judge Tinney said.
“Quite incredibly, you went back together and you kicked in the door Mr Siddle, you both then entered and you were carrying a knife, a stanley knife, Ms Cleasby.”
Cleasby waved her blade at the terrified woman and told her to “sit down and shut up” while she and Siddle rummaged through the apartment looking for her ex’s laptop.
Cleasby became enraged when the girl tried to pull out her phone to text for help and threatened her with the knife again, accidentally cutting the woman’s hand when she put her arm out to defend herself, Judge Tinney said.
Cleasby later told Boroondara police, who were investigating the burglary, she was worried her ex would stalk her using the laptop.
But Judge Tinney questioned Cleasby’s allegations against her ex, telling the court they were only made once she realised she was in trouble.
Even if Cleasby’s claims were true, he said, they didn’t warrant the terror or injury she’d inflicted on the innocent young woman.
Cleasby’s heavy use of methamphetamine and other illicit drugs at the time of the offence, and which she continued to use since then, was also an aggravating factor, he said.
“You allege he was violent to you, I don’t know if he was or he wasn’t. You allege he had photos of you, intimate photos, and had concerns as to him stalking you,” Judge Tinney said.
“All I can really conclude is that you were each better off without the other, no question about that.”
Judge Tinney said a strong message of deterrence and denunciation had to be sent to the community over Cleasby and Siddle’s crime.
He also told the court he wasn’t convinced either Cleasby or Siddle, who had since split up, were genuinely remorseful.
Siddle was sentenced to six months’ jail for his part in the scheme.
Both Cleasby and Siddle must each complete a two-year community corrections order upon their release from jail.
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