Court told teenagers threatened man

A BOY has been unable to explain why he burst into a house and tied up a man during a terrifying home invasion at Waurn Ponds.

The victim was at his Rene St home on May 30 this year when two youths entered soon after midnight, brandishing knives and with bandannas covering their faces.

The 29-year-old’s hands were bound with electrical tape and his head covered with a blanket as the pair ransacked his home.

The youths, both 17, pleaded guilty in a children’s court yesterday to charges including home invasion, false imprisonment and unlawful assault.

Lawyers for the pair said they were ashamed of their actions and remorseful for subjecting their victim to such terror.

But while one of the attackers attributed his crimes to daily drug use and struggles since arriving in Australia as a refugee, a lawyer for the other boy was unable to offer an explanation.

She said the boy could not give a reason for his involvement, but added that he tended to behave impulsively.

She told the court he was otherwise polite and responsible “90 per cent of the time”.

Police believe the attack was orchestrated with Amanda Hewson, an 18-year-old who was listening to music and playing video games with the victim when the youths burst inside.

The court heard Ms Hewson allegedly befriended the man several days before the incident and had made plans with the youths earlier that night to storm the home.

A solicitor for the Office of Public Prosecutions said watches, iPhones, bank cards and a 2017 Mercedes-Benz were among items stolen during the home invasion.

At one stage while tied up, the victim was punched to the head several times as his attackers demanded to know passcodes and PIN codes for the phones and bank cards.

A knife was also held to his throat while one of the boys said, “Are you lying to me? Do you know what will happen if you lie to me?”

The pair have been in custody since the morning of the incident, when the stolen Mercedes-Benz crashed while fleeing police in Belmont.

The court heard one of the youths was also responsible for stomping on the head of a fellow inmate at the Parkville Youth Justice Centre in June.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing an iPhone that was stolen from a teenager during a sand dunes party at Point Lonsdale on January 5.

The pair were supported in court by family members as they were remanded in custody until sentencing on December 4.

Ms Hewson is on bail and will return to court next month.