Three Illawarra men are waiting to learn their fate for a vicious, drug-fuelled home invasion in which a man was tied to a chair with his own shoelaces and threatened with having his toes cut off.
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Drazsic Wheatley, 21, Jake Nikolas John Hall, 26, and Brendan Parsons, 26, each confirmed guilty pleas to a string of offences, including specially aggravated detaining in company with intent to obtain an advantage, at Wollongong District Court on Friday.
The trio were scheduled to be sentenced however Judge Siobhan Herbert adjourned the matter to next month to consider her decision.
Tendered court documents revealed Hall and Wheatley were armed with hatchets on a night in November 2021 when they raided a slew of Shellharbour businesses.
Parsons joined the pair about 5pm that evening, as the trio broke into a Tullimbar address and punched a male victim who was inside playing his Xbox, causing him to fall to the floor.
Hall dragged the man by the feet to another room as he copped multiple punches.
The attackers then tied him to a chair with his own shoelaces. He was then viciously kicked and punched several times, while Parsons held scissors to his throat.
Wheatley, Hall and Parsons then walked into the bathroom where they discussed their plans with the victim, with one saying "we'll cut his toes off with a shovel".
They then trapped the victim inside a laundry cupboard, with his hands still tied behind his back and shut the door. The men made off with his electronics including the victim's iPad and Xbox - trashing the house on the way out.
The victim eventually managed to break out of the cupboard and contact a relative, with police arriving shortly after. Officers took images of the victim's injuries which included red marks on his neck and wrists.
The scissors and a shovel were found on the floor, with the shoelaces also seized for forensic examination. All three home invaders were arrested the following week.
Wheatley, Hall and Parsons each took to the witness stand on Friday to give evidence, with all admitting drug use was the driver behind their offending.
"I was at the lowest point in my life with drug and alcohol use ... I wasn't thinking straight," Wheatley said.
"I was just thinking about my next hit. I regret it all."
Parsons said he had been so deep into his drug use that he was awake for four days prior to the home invasion.
The trio are due to be sentenced on May 15.
Read more Illawarra court and crime stories here.
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
