An 18-year-old man accused of subjecting a Coledale family to a terrifying armed home invasion has been identified in court as Minto resident Isiah Campbell.
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Police say the would-be thief entered the two-storey home on Squires Crescent just after 1.30am on Wednesday using a partially opened rear sliding door.
Removing his Nike-branded sneakers and placing them neatly on a matt inside the doorway, Campbell allegedly made his way directly to the kitchen where he grabbed a 20cm knife from the bench.
He then began moving from room to room, picking up items of value as he went and placing them in a pile next to his shoes near the door, police said.
At some stage, Campbell allegedly made his way into the master bedroom, still holding the knife.
Meantime, a woman who had been asleep in the room told police she woke at 1.40am to a dark shadow on the opposite side of the bed.
Believing it was her husband she called out to him, however quickly realised it wasn’t him when he responded from inside the bed.
“[The victim] realised at this point the male was within half a metre of her husband,” police wrote in documents tendered in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday afternoon.
“The accused has produced the knife, pointing it towards [the victim].”
The woman screamed, waking her two daughters, who overheard their mother saying “what do you want, why are you here?”.
The older daughter told her sister to hide in the wardrobe while she called triple zero.
Meantime, Campbell allegedly pointed the knife at the husband and wife, demanding their phones, laptops, cash and keys to their cars, at the same time telling them “I’m not going to hurt you or the children”.
One of two constables who arrived at the house a short time later said as he approached a set of glass doors at the front of the house he could see Campbell walking the female victim out of one of the rooms while holding a knife to her back.
The constable later told detectives Campbell looked directly at him at the time, providing him with a “clear and unrestricted” view of Campbell’s face.
The arrival of police allegedly prompted Campbell to flee the house - minus his shoes. He was seen to throw away items belonging to the victims as he ran off, police said.
He was later found hiding inside a car a few houses away.
Police will allege they found him in possession of two mobile phones belonging to the victims.
He was subsequently charged with aggravated entering of a dwelling, armed robbery and entering a vehicle without consent.
He declined a police interview and was remanded in custody.
Campbell sought release on bail when he fronted court on Wednesday afternoon, however it was denied on account of the seriousness of the allegations.
The case will return to court on February 27.