Daniel Ochaya jailed for attacking Darwin house and occupants

A ‘drunk’ man kicked out of a party went postal, attacking a man with a hockey stick, smashing a home’s security screen in with a brick and threatening to ‘shoot’ its occupants.

Daniel Ochaya has been jailed after targeting a Darwin residence, assaulting one of the occupants in the process. Source: Facebook.

A young “drunk” man who terrorised a Darwin house and its occupants with a hockey stick after being kicked out of an 18th birthday party has been locked up.

Daniel Ochaya, 21, appeared in the Darwin Local Court by video link on Friday, where he was sentenced for aggravated assault, threatening to kill, trespassing and damaging property.

The court heard that on July 20, 2024, Ochaya went to an 18th birthday party in Malak, and brawled with several guests.

Ochaya continued to be aggressive and was told to leave.

About 7am the next day, Ochaya was dropped off at the residence of one of the partygoers by a driver – whose identity was not known.

Ochaya began “yelling and banging” on the front door of the house, screaming he “got bashed” at the party and wanted to talk to the partygoer about it.

Darwin Local Court. Picture: Jason Walls

Two occupants tried to “calm down” Ochaya, who left and returned with a wooden hockey stick.

The court heard Ochaya approached one of the occupants who had tried to calm him down, and struck him “three to four times” to the head and upper body, breaking the stick in half.

Ochaya ran back to the vehicle and, as he was driving off, yelled “I’m going to come back” and “I’m going to shoot everyone in the house”.

About 11.30am, Ochaya returned again and for 15 minutes, used bricks and a wheelie bin to try and break into the house while the occupants retreated into a small room.

Before giving up the siege, Ochaya destroyed the screen and main doors of the house and caused “substantial damage” to a LandCruiser belonging to one of the occupants.

Ochaya was arrested that afternoon.

It was heard Ochaya “has some prior offending”.

Judge Alan Woodcock said Ochaya “needs to be deterred”.

“If you keep doing this you’ll spend your life in jail,” he said.

“What a shame – (a) strong, energetic young man with his whole life in front of him, wasting his life because he gets drunk and hurts people.”

Ochaya was handed 18 months imprisonment backdated to July 22, 2024.

Originally published as Daniel Ochaya jailed for attacking Darwin house and occupants