A woman begged a young man not to shoot her as he pointed a pistol at her during a terrifying Sunshine Coast home invasion involving a notorious youth crime gang.
Dominick Encoh Phillips, 20, Bradley Turnbull-Kelly, 24, and Caleb James Benson, 20, pleaded guilty in Maroochydore District Court on June 15, 2023 to one count of robbery whilst armed and in company.
The court heard how a deal for a pair of shoes had sparked the incident.
A pair of shoes were sold by a member of the share house but were not paid for by a then-18-year-old woman — the alleged fourth co-accused in the matter.
This evolved into an argument between the three parties over several days.
In the early morning of March 30, 2022 Phillips contacted several of his mates to join him, saying he had been “jumped” and they “need to f–k this guy up.”
Dominick Encoh Phillips. Picture: Facebook
Crown prosecutor Michael Andronicus told the court Phillips even offered money to those who would join him.
Phillips and the female co-accused allegedly visited the home that afternoon, each armed with a butcher’s knife but two members of the share house had armed themselves with samurai swords and scared them away.
They returned in the evening with Turnbull-Kelly, Benson and an unidentified man and burst through the unlocked front door with masks on.
A woman was alone in the bedroom belonging to the man who sold the shoes, who was not home at the time. Other members of the share house were present.
Phillips demanded to know the location of the man and pulled out a pistol on the woman who locked herself in an ensuite of the bedroom but the door was kicked down.
The woman screamed “don’t shoot me” and another share house member hid inside a closet in fear.
Caleb James Benson. Picture: Facebook
As Phillips pointed the pistol at the woman, she started to cry, curled up into a ball and called the man who was not present, before she was made to sit on the bed with her hands up.
Judge Gary Long said the female co-accused then came into the house to scream and pull on the female victim’s hair until a shout of “let’s go, the cops are coming” was heard outside.
Mr Andronicus said the female victim had heard someone shouting “this is what you get for f–king with Northside” outside of the bedroom.
Mr Andronicus also told the court Phillips stated “Northside Gang” to police when they were making their inquiries.
The Northside Gang is an infamous group of juveniles who rose to notoriety in Brisbane taking to social media to boast about high-end car thefts and other crimes.
The court heard the four men and the female co-accused quickly left the Mountain Creek home in a car and the victims found drawers and furniture were turned upside down, and various items including expensive bags and jewellery and a $50 note were stolen.
Police intercepted the car later that evening and found the pistol, stolen items and cannabis but the unknown fifth offender was not inside.
Phillips additionally pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis and for an attempted armed robbery in South Brisbane in February 2022, where he demanded a 59-year-old man walking his dog hand over his wallet, then lifted his shirt to show he was armed with a knife.
Turnbull-Kelly additionally pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert justice after he caught word police found meth during a raid of his partner’s home and tried to take the blame for his partner while he was in jail.
Phillips’ defence barrister said his client “would take back what he did if he could” and wants to see his two-year-old daughter.
Turnbull-Kelly’s barrister said his client labelled the incident as “shockingly stupid and catastrophic,” and said he has two sons and a prospective construction industry job.
Representing Benson, defence barrister Simon Lewis said his client was a talented rugby player for Beerwah, and he would continue an apprenticeship in his father’s rendering business.
Bradley Turnbull-Kelly. Picture: Facebook
Phillips was sentenced to a total of six years and one month imprisonment with a parole eligibility date set for March 30, 2024. His 442 days in pre-sentence custody was declared as time served.
Turnbull-Kelly was sentenced to a total of five years and three months’ imprisonment and will be eligible to apply for parole on January 30, 2024.
Only 167 days from January 30, 2022 in pre-sentence custody were declared as time served due to Turnbull-Kelly breaching a previous parole order by disqualified driving.
Benson had been released on bail only a day prior to the offending due to previous matters which were dealt with in June, 2022 and had been serving time in jail ever since.
He was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment with only 71 days in pre-sentence custody declared as time served. His parole eligibility date has been set for September 27, 2023.
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