Eight SA criminal pairs who worked together to commit their crimes
From a duo’s terrifying home invasion to a husband-and-wife’s revenge arson attack, these criminal partners faced the consequences together in court.
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From an aspiring lawyer’s home invasion over a drug debt to father-son vigilantes attacking an alleged pervert, there are plenty of duos who found themselves in trouble with the law.
Here are South Australia’s partners in crime who faced court recently and the consequences they faced.
Husband and wife’s revenge arson attack
A woman torched her rental home in an “unjustified revenge” attack on her landlord for being asked to move out.
Mother-of-five Rhiannon Sarri Watherston, 37, gathered cardboard boxes and clothes into a bedroom at the Elizabeth South rental home before setting it on fire shortly before 2am on October 2, 2020.
Her husband Keven James Gordan Watherston, 33, avoided jail after he watched the home burn instead of calling the fire brigade.
In Ms Watherston’s sentencing, District Court Judge Michael Durrant said the “calculated and planned” fire caused “extensive damage” to multiple rooms at the property, leaving a $228,000 damage bill.
“Your motivation in offending was a sense of unjustified revenge and a desire to cause hurt and harm to the landlord and his family,” he said.
Ms Watherston was driven away by Mr Watherston before the couple parked on vacant land nearby to watch as the flames took hold.
Both Mr and Ms Watherston pleaded guilty to arson.
Judge Durrant imposed a jail term of four years and three months on Ms Watherston, with a non-parole period of two years.
Mr Watherston was sentenced to two years and four months jail, with a non-parole period of one year and one month.
Due to Mr Watherston now being the primary carer of the couple’s children and lesser role in the offending, the sentence was suspended on a $500, two year good behaviour bond.
Father and son’s vigilante attack on flasher
Two men dodged jail after they bashed a man in a vigilante attack, leaving him with serious injuries, because he allegedly exposed himself in public.
Fuelled by rage, Trevor James Lindsay, 34, and his father Michael Raymond Lindsay, 60, stomped on, kicked and punched the victim in their “cowardly” attack.
The District Court heard the victim was walking away on Whitmore Square on May 12, 2020 when Trevor ran up behind him and repeatedly punched him to the face, knocking him to the ground.
“After he went to the ground you kicked and stomped on his body and head,” Judge Heath Barklay said during sentencing.
“While the victim was on the ground with Trevor Lindsay kicking him you, Michael Lindsay, joined in and kicked the victim.
“You both then punched him to the head while he was on the ground.
“Your explanation for the offending was that prior to your attack the victim, who had been drinking with a group of people associated with you, had exposed his genitals in front of the group including women and children.”
Both Adelaide men pleaded guilty to causing harm with intent to cause harm.
Judge Barklay sentenced Michael to two years and ten months jail, with a non-parole period of one year and ten months.
Trevor was sentenced to two years and nine months’ jail, with a non-parole period of one year and nine months.
Both sentences were suspended on a three year good behaviour bond.
Ex-lovers caught in hotel meth bust
A drug-dealing former couple caught in a hotel room with $40,000 of meth and tick lists were sentenced, with one being spared jail.
Steven Thomas Bell and Anna Resnyansky were motivated by profit during their short-lived relationship which was fuelled by drugs.
During Resnyansky’s sentencing, the District Court heard police stopped a car she and Bell were in on June 30, 2020.
They found 14.4g of mixed methamphetamine in the car and 2.35g in Bell’s bum bag.
After noting the couple had access cards, police searched an Adelaide hotel room and found $8600 and 53.6g of mixed methamphetamine in a locked safe.
The court heard the methamphetamine was valued at up to $44,000 if sold by the gram.
Resnyansky’s phone was seized and police found a number of drug-dealing messages on Facebook.
Bell, 32, of Macclesfield, and Resnyansky, 38, of Woodville North, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking.
Judge Rauf Soulio sentenced Bell to three years and five months jail, with a non-parole period of one year and five months.
Resnyansky was sentenced to three years and six months jail, with a non-parole period of one year and seven months.
Due to her employment and good rehabilitation efforts, Judge Soulio ordered she serve the sentence on home detention.
Mates sentenced for vicious assault
A duo who escalated a scuffle between their girlfriends and a man over an Akubra hat were sentenced for their violent attack.
Matthew Andrew Northcott, 29, and Brayden Scott Mudge, 27, left the victim with black eyes and a fractured cheekbone during the vicious home invasion.
During sentencing, the District Court heard Mudge and Northcott attended the Renmark Club with their girlfriends, Ms Mitchell and Ms Doevendans on October 3, 2020.
“Your group was approached by the victim, who began mouthing off, saying derogatory things about Ms Mitchell,” Judge Anthony Allen said during sentencing.
The court heard the two women were upset at the victim’s behaviour and decided to walk to his home, followed by Mudge and Northcott.
“When he (the victim) went to open the door they (the women) barged inside, demanding to know where Mr Mudge’s hat was,” Judge Allen said.
“This stems from Mr Mudge loaning the victim an Akubra hat a number of months earlier.”
The victim, who was the ex-boyfriend of Ms Mitchell, told the women to leave, otherwise he would call police.
“Ms Mitchell snatched the phone from his hands and then a scuffle broke out over the phone,” Judge Allen said.
After that scuffle, the victim went to shut his front door.
“It was at that time that you, Mr Northcott, forced the door open and tackled the victim to the ground,” Judge Allen said.
Northcott then punched the victim a couple of times to the head and body.
Mudge then entered the house and punched the victim, before both men left.
Northcott, of Renmark, pleaded guilty to serious criminal trespass and causing harm with intent, while Mudge, of Monash, pleaded guilty to serious criminal trespass and assault causing harm.
Their girlfriends aren’t accused of any wrongdoing.
Northcott was sentenced to three years and four months jail, with a non-parole period of two years.
The sentence was suspended on a $500, two-year good behaviour bond.
Due to Mudge’s lesser role and no criminal history, he was sentenced to a two-year good behaviour bond.
Duo’s revenge over drug debt
An aspiring lawyer is behind bars after she found herself on the wrong side of the law and committed a violent home invasion.
Nicki Meree Robinson, 30, and Christopher Geoffrey Thornton Robinson, 43, were jailed in the Supreme Court for their terrifying act of retribution over a drug debt.
During sentencing, the court heard one of the victims, Beau McPherson supplied Mr Robinson with fantasy for $400 prior to the offending but hadn’t received payment from him.
The victims left a note saying “WTF is our money for the s*** we got yest (yesterday) – don’t make me come back,” on a car outside Ms Robinson’s Paradise home.
Ms Robinson, who was wearing a wig, and Mr Robinson burst into Mr McPherson and his partner Jason’s Whitehead’s Ridgehaven granny flat on September 27, 2021.
Mr Robinson pinned Mr Whitehead down, before slitting his neck with a sharp weapon, while Ms Robinson stole his phone.
Mr Whitehead was conveyed to hospital after having his occipital artery severed and sustaining a 15cm laceration to the back of his neck, which required medical staples.
Mr Robinson was found guilty of serious criminal trespass and causing harm with intent.
He was acquitted of the more serious charge of attempted murder, as well as robbery.
Ms Robinson was found guilty by a jury in July of serious criminal trespass and theft after a month-long trial and acquitted of robbery.
Justice Kimber sentenced Mr Robinson to four years jail, with a non-parole period of two years and four months.
The sentence was backdated to October 5, 2021.
Ms Robinson was sentenced to two years and eight months jail, with a non-parole period of one year.
The sentence was backdated to July 28.
Thug brothers’ horrific bashing
Two brothers were jailed after they brutally attacked a man with a shovel and ice pick, before stealing a motorbike.
Tallen ‘Red Dog’ Kilpatrick and Dillon Kilpatrick changed the lives of another set of siblings, victims Philip and Brenton How, with their vicious joint enterprise.
Philip was flown to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with injuries including a broken jaw following the attack – which occurred on March 21, 2020 in Whyalla Norrie.
Brenton had his motorbike, valued at $2000, stolen by the brothers.
During the brothers’ trial, Philip said he was woken by Brenton who alerted him Dillon was at their door.
The court heard after a verbal disagreement Philip was chased into his backyard by the Kilpatrick brothers and another man.
“An ice pick was thrown at the back of my head, I ducked and it missed, then I was hit in the back of the head by a shovel,” Philip said.
“Then I was grabbed in a headlock by Dillon who strangled me and dragged me across the (backyard) sandpit area.”
Tallen also assaulted Philip and Brenton’s mother, Kerrie Shaddock, following the incident after she went to his house to square a $200 debt that Philip owed.
A jury found the Kilpatrick brothers guilty of all charges – causing harm with intent, theft and assault over the incident.
Judge Paul Cuthbertson sentenced Tallen to four years and nine months jail, with a non-parole period of two years and ten months.
The sentence was backdated to November 23, 2022.
Dillon was sentenced to five years jail, with a non-parole period of three years, which was backdated to March 2, 2023.
Meth cooks caught red-handed in act
Two meth cooks have walked free from court after police located a clandestine lab in a shed and a shopping list of chemicals.
Brett Matthew Cugley, 38, and Graham Christian Anthony Glover, 39, both avoided jail after being caught in the very early stages of manufacturing methamphetamine.
During sentencing, the District Court heard Cugley’s home was searched in March 2021 and police found just over 39g of methamphetamine, valued at up to $39,300 if sold in points.
They also found tick lists, multiple phones and digital scales.
Police then searched Cugley’s Davoren Park address in August 2021 and a clandestine methamphetamine lab was located in the rear shed.
The court heard Glover was arrested a short distance away after leaving the address, with police finding a list of chemicals in his pocket.
Cugley was arrested a short time later, with police finding screenshots of instructions relating to manufacturing methamphetamine on his phone.
Cugley and Glover, both of Fairview Park, pleaded guilty to manufacturing a controlled drug for sale, while Cugley also pleaded guilty to drug trafficking.
Judge Thomas sentenced Cugley to three years and 10 months jail, with a non-parole period of one year and five months.
Due to his parenting role and rehabilitation efforts, he was ordered to serve the sentence on home detention.
Glover was sentenced to four months jail, which was suspended on a six month good behaviour bond, with supervision.
Duo’s terrifying home invasion
A northern suburbs homeowner was threatened with a long pole and a knife attached during a duo’s terrifying home invasion.
Dylan Jade Cox, 28, was jailed for over four years after he and Adam Beau Burston, 23, stole the victim’s car in the “premeditated” crime.
During sentencing, the District Court heard the victim was asleep at his Blakeview home on September 18, 2010.
At about 3am, Burston opened the victim’s bedroom door and walked inside holding a long pole with a kitchen knife attached.
Wearing a black face mask, Burston stood at the end of the victim’s bed and pointed the knife at the victim’s throat.
Police found Burston in the driver’s seat of the stolen car in a driveway at Burton.
Cox, of Elizabeth Grove, and Burston, of Munno Para West, pleaded guilty to serious criminal trespass, assault and theft.
After adding on Burston’s previous sentences, Judge Liesl Kudelka sentenced him last year to seven years and 10 months, with a non-parole period of three years and 11 months.
Cox was sentenced to four years and six months jail, with a non-parole period of two years and eight months.
The sentence was backdated to December 9, 2022.
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