William Sadlier-O’Connor: Black Power gang member accused of home invasion

A Cobblebank father barricaded his family upstairs while Black Power gang members allegedly broke in and terrorised him.

Black Power gang member Jadyn Kellyhas been accused of committing an aggravated home invasion.

A Black Power gang member who allegedly led a horror, five-man home invasion, in which a dad was attacked while his wife and children hid, has been granted bail.

William Sadlier-O’Connor fronted Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday, facing charges including aggravated home invasion.

Sadlier-O’Connor and four men, including fellow gang member Jayden Kelly, who was armed with a knife, stormed a Tourmaline Dr, Cobblebank home while a family was sleeping just before midnight on January 7.

The father went downstairs while his wife and four children barricaded themselves in a bedroom and phoned triple-0.

Sadlier-O’Connor allegedly threatened the dad with his own gel blaster, which the group found in the garage, and demanded, “Where’s the money?”

Jadyn Kelly has also been granted bail after being charged over the home invasion.

Sadlier-O’Connor allegedly then punched the dad in the face using knuckle dusters, causing him to fall.

The dad was punched repeatedly while the group ransacked the house, asking, “Where’s the pounds?”, and stealing booze from the fridge.

They allegedly took the dad’s $7000 gold necklace from around his neck and continued to punch him while he blocked the staircase so the men couldn’t get to his family.

The thugs were caught on CCTV and police told the court the group’s threats could be heard on the footage.

The father was left with a fractured eye socket, lost vision in that eye, and significant PTSD.

Sadlier-O’Connor was allegedly wearing a Black Power-branded jumper during the attack.

He was arrested on February 16 and police searched his Tarneit home.

Police told the court Sadlier-O’Connor was a Black Power patch member — a gang aligned with the Rebels Outlaw Motorcycle Club — and he had the gang’s symbol tattooed on his body and had a prior conviction for unlawful assault.

Officers further argued he was a New Zealand citizen was an unacceptable risk of offending or fleeing the jurisdiction if granted bail.

Sadlier-O’Connor’s partner’s mother attested to his good character, telling the court he had lived with her for four and a half years.

The woman said Sadlier-O’Connor was a great father to his son, who was being raised Catholic, and said she would watch over him if he was granted bail.

His lawyer argued Sadlier-O’Connor was an incredibly “polite, compelling young man” who risked spending too long in custody waiting for the matter to be resolved.

Magistrate Bakos granted bail and said while the police case was strong, the risks of Sadlier-O’Connor being granted bail could be mitigated with strict conditions.

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