Moses Laula: Cranbourne North home invader had COVID-19
‘I’ll stab your kid’: A mum and children were playing in a Cranbourne North home when thugs smashed into the room.
South East
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A thug infected with Covid-19, who took part in a violent Cranbourne North home invasion where a mother and young children were playing, has avoided adult jail.
Moses Laula, 18, was sentenced to two years and two months’ jail in a youth detention centre before the County Court on Friday, having pleaded guilty to charges including home invasion, theft of a motor vehicle and failing to comply with directions from the Chief Health Officer.
Laula was Covid positive when he and a friend stormed a Malmsbury Rd house in a shocking daytime attack amidst Melbourne’s stage four lockdown on August 6.
The court heard the pair, who were wearing hoodies and surgical masks, climbed the property’s side fence about 10.10am.
The victim, who was playing in a back living room with her young children, saw the teens in her backyard and banged on the window to try to scare them away.
But one of them then kicked the living room window, shattering it, and the pair entered the house.
Laula’s accomplice then demanded the woman’s phone and car keys.
The co-offender then pushed her in the chest and pulled out a kitchen knife he’d brought, saying, “Give me your phone or I’ll stab your kid,” while looking at the woman’s six-year-old.
The thug held the knife up to her — with both children watching — and she told him she didn’t have a phone, and took the pair to the garage where her car keys were.
Laula and his friend then took the keys and left in the woman’s Holden Commodore.
The woman called the police, who arrived to find her shaking and crying.
A police air wing unit spotted Laula’s accomplice driving the car on the Princess Fwy at high speeds about 10.45am.
The young teen sped up to 180km/h and narrowly missed hitting other cars as he weaved through traffic.
He then rammed into a police car, causing it to spin into the concrete barrier, and kept on driving.
The police car was left damaged beyond repair and an officer who was sitting in the backseat was injured, suffering a concussion and swelling.
Laula’s accomplice then sped to Eden Rise Village, despite having driven over a police tyre deflation device, and crashed into two cars as he tried to overtake one.
He kept driving and hit another two parked cars, before police pounced on the pair.
The court heard Laula was bitten by a police dog, which left him needing surgery and four days in The Alfred.
It was heard both Laula and his accomplice had been outside their homes for non essential reasons, violating the rules of Melbourne’s lockdown.
The court heard Laula had no criminal history, but was on bail at the time.
At the plea hearing, Laula’s lawyer told the court Laula had come to Australia as a refugee in 2005 and had gotten into drugs and a negative peer group during year 10.
It was heard he had begun using cocaine and MDMA in the lead up to the crime.
The lawyer noted Laula’s early plea, and that he had already spent five months in an adult jail, pushing for him to be sentenced to time in a youth justice centre.
Judge Kevin Doyle ordered Laula be assessed for youth justice at the plea hearing.
