‘I still can’t sleep’: Family speaks of horror after terrifying Braybrook attempted burglary

Harrowing footage shows the moment machete-wielding thugs stormed a home in the middle of the night — terrifying the sleeping family inside. WATCH THE VIDEO.

Harrowing CCTV footage captured a full minute and a half as 10 thugs stormed a Braybrook home before stealing a family car, leaving their victims struggling to sleep at night.

Video captured just before 2am on October 11 last year shows a masked gang wielding machetes, tomahawks, batons and other weapons, smashing the front door open before fleeing in the victims’ car.

The thugs repeatedly smashed the door with the weapons, terrifying resident Nayran Tabiei and her screaming family.

After they fled warfare in Syria, Melbourne was a safe haven from violence and weapons for Ms Tabiei and her family. But that all changed when the home invaders turned up in the dead of night.

“I still struggle to sleep,” Ms Tabiei said. “I came from the war to be safe here, and it’s not even safe here.”

The family fled Syria just over a decade ago, but the incident has left Ms Tabiei struggling to work out why thieves or assailants targeted her family home.

Ms Tabiei and her husband were asleep about 1:47am when the “young-looking” home invaders attacked.

“We woke up with smashing and cracking noises and the sound of someone damaging the fence, and then 10 people wearing black from head to toe came in,” she said.

“They then came out to the car with the axe and hit some of the windows and doors after they came into our room. I told them I was going to call the police and they started to run. They didn’t say anything (to us).”

The home owner desperately tried to hold his door closed.

One assailant sliced Ms Tabiei’s husband’s hand with a machete so severely he is still undergoing rehab before he can return to his construction job. His hand can be seen coming through the front door window and being struck as he tries to prevent the gang’s entry.

A planned overnight stay at her grandparents’ house meant Ms Tabiei’s 17-year-old daughter avoided the terrifying ordeal.

“They don’t even care, they’re not afraid,” she said.

Police later arrested three 18-year-old men and two boys aged 16 and 17. They were charged with a range of offences including aggravated home invasion and are currently before the courts.

Two lives lost in agg burgs in a fortnight

Opportunistic youths chasing flashy items and notoriety are contributing to a spike in brazen aggravated burglaries, a criminal specialist says.

Australian Catholic University senior criminology lecturer Dr Shannon Dodd said more young thieves appeared to be targeting vulnerable-looking homes in groups in order to steal more items, and to ensure they can get away quickly in a vehicle being driven by a peer.

“A substantial proportion of property crime is often committed by young people, and there is some research to suggest that young burglars are more likely to commit these sorts of offences in the company of their peers,” Dr Dodd said.

“There’s likely to be peer pressure to engage in risky or adrenaline-based activities, particularly if they are (youths) kind of disengaged from education and feeling a bit bored.”

Ash Gordon died in an alleged violent home invasion in Doncaster on Saturday. Picture: Supplied

It comes as the latest crime data shows that in Victoria in 2023 there were more than 4100 aggravated burglaries while occupants of the home were present, a spike from 3234 the year before.

In 2018, there were just 2760 recorded incidents.

Last year, there were 85 reported home invasions across the state, jumping from 60 in 2022 and just 30 in 2018. There was also a 15 per cent increase in the number of burglaries across the state last year when compared to the year prior.

Attempted aggravated burglaries and attempted home invasions almost doubled in the past year.

Forensic police at the scene of a fatal shooting in Donnybrook. Picture: David Crosling

Worryingly, crimes committed by children as young as 10 rose by more than a third and children aged 14 to 17 committed anextra 856 burglaries than the year before.

Dr Dodd said homes that appeared unlocked, or lacking in security measures such as CCTV, secure doors and windows were prime targets for thieves looking to quickly make off with expensive items, including expensive-looking cars parked nearby.

“If there’s a fairly fancy car in the driveway, or if it’s in a fairly affluent area, they probably perceive that they’re likely to be able to get their hands on some goods that will get them a little bit of money,” she said.

Police have alleged a 19-year-old man forced his way into the home with a crew of thugs before a man was shot and killed inside the property. Picture: David Crosling

A broken window at the Donnybrook property. Picture: David Crosling

“They might also be looking for things like cash or jewellery, or be motivated to try and find drugs or alcohol or cigarettes and electrical goods that they might be able to sell.”

The trends mirror the latest crime data, which revealed 14-to 17-year-olds committed 657 more assaults and 856 more burglaries than the previous year.

Youths aged between 10 and 17 were the alleged offender in 64 per cent of robberies, and the victims were the same age almost30 per cent of the time.

“It is likely that there are some fairly prominent offenders or groups of offenders who are responsible for a large number of these sorts of offences, ” Dr Dodd said.

Police increasingly frustrated with repeat youth offenders

Families living in fear of their safety amid a spate of violent aggravated burglaries have been urged to keep their homes locked up to prevent potentially deadly confrontations.

Victoria Police Commander Therese Fitzgerald said properties with connecting garages were a particularly easy target for crooks to gain entry to the home when the door accessing the house was left unlocked.

“A citywide police operation targeting this exact issue has been running every single night until dawn since March last year,” she said.

“Offenders are telling us they will try multiple homes until they find an easy target that’s unlocked.

“The odds of falling victim to an aggravated burglary skyrocket if you leave your home unlocked, so we ask the community to take simple steps such as locking doors and windows.”

Police urged the public to retreat to safety if confronted by offenders – preferring homeowners not try to tackle the gangsthemselves.

Many of the state’s most prolific offenders have been continuously granted bail by the state’s justice system before going on to commit more crimes. Picture: Richard Walker

The force’s Operation Trinity, established to combat aggravated burglaries and home invasions across Melbourne, has so far resulted in almost 2500 arrests – including 550 in relation to aggravated burglaries alone.

And 95 per cent of vehicles stolen during the aggravated burglaries, since April last year, have been recovered within three months. Many of the vehicles are found dumped in nearby suburbs by youths seeking a brief joy ride – rather than making money selling the cars, police say.

Commander Fitzgerald said many invasions were by repeat offenders: “While the overall number of Victorian homes being broken into remains far lower than earlier in the decade, we have seen aggravated burglaries increase due to youth offenders targeting unlocked properties to steal car keys and vehicles.

“An aggravated burglary occurs when the occupant is home at the time, however in more than 95 per cent of aggravated burglaries the offender remains …unsighted.”