Jayton Lindsay pleads guilty to aggravated burglary, theft, home invasion

A couple have told a court of the harrowing impact a home invader had on them and their children.

Burglar Jayton Lindsay appeared in the County Court at Geelong on Monday, for a Koori court hearing.

A couple have told a court of the harrowing impact of a home invasion, as a young, drug-addled burglar was warned he needed to clean up his act.

Jayton Thomas Lindsay, 22, appeared in the County Court at Geelong on Monday, for a Koori court hearing where he pleaded guilty to 11 charges, including aggravated burglary, home invasion, theft, and drug possession.

In a Koori Court sentencing conversation, judges, elders, lawyers, prosecutors and the accused all sit around the bar table and speak informally.

Crown prosecutor Brayden Sharp told the court that Lindsay broke into two homes along with a co-accused in a four-day span in August last year, looking for cars to taking joy-riding.

In the first instance on August 1, the thieves took off with car keys, house keys, an iPhone, car manuals, passports, a wallet, $400 cash and various cards.

In the second incident on August 5 – a home invasion in which one victim was threatened with a screwdriver – the thieves stole two cars from a family, as well as a purse and laptop.

The two thieves were, on both occasions, confronted by homeowners who woke and discovered them in their homes.

Lindsay’s accomplice was arrested and Linsday’s home was raided on August 5, hours after the second break-in.

In his bedroom, officers found drugs – ice, alprazolam (xanax), LSD, diazepam (valium), ketamine and 19 vials of testosterone – as well as stolen items.

The couple whose home Lindsay burgled on August 5 read out victim impact statements to the court.

The husband said he still saw the burglars “out the corner of my eyes” and struggled walking through a part of the house because of the incident.

He told the court the “safety and sanctity” of his house had been shattered, and he now checked and rechecked the locks “three or four” times a night.

His wife told the court she lay awake at night since the incident “listening to every bump or knock”, and that her mental health had been affected.

“My bucket is empty,” she told the court.

Both spoke of the traumatic impact the home invasion had on their three young children.

Lindsay apologised to the couple for his actions.

“I’m really sorry for what happened, not only to you but to your kids as well,” he said.

Despite what happened, the couple showed compassion for Lindsay and his future.

“I worry about his future, about his family … I worry about the little boy that he once was,” the woman said.

Lindsay’s lawyer, Adrian Paull, acknowledged Lindsay had a “substantial, significant and relevant” criminal history for someone of his age.

However, he had been doing well on a bakery apprenticeship before a relapse into drug use.

Koori Court officer Kylie Spencer told Lindsay he needed to consider which route he wanted his life to take.

“You need to make better decisions now, before it’s too late,” she said.

Lindsay will be sentenced on October 8. 

Originally published as Jayton Lindsay pleads guilty to aggravated burglary, theft, home invasion