A Bendigo man has admitted to committing several offences during a violent home invasion in California Gully last year.
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Jaawaa Morgan, 21, pleaded guilty in the Bendigo County Court on Monday to aggravated home invasion, three counts of intentionally causing injury, and possession of an unregistered firearm.
Crown prosecutor Anne Hassan told the court that about 10pm on February 24 last year, five males wearing dark facial coverings and clothing entered a Laurie Court home through an unlocked door.
Their alleged target was a 20-year-old male, who was at the home with his mother and stepfather.
The court heard the males assaulted the young man with weapons, including metal bars and a baseball bat.
He was also tasered in the neck and kicked to the face, suffering multiple injuries which led to him spending two days in hospital. His stepfather was also injured.
The young man told police he knew some of the offenders, naming Morgan and two co-accused.
Forensic evidence linked Morgan to the scene and a firearm found there.
Ms Hassan said the 20-year-old victim had lived with Morgan’s co-accused, but they left after a falling out.
The victim retained one of their cars in lieu of rent, she said, and this was the subject of an argument between the two on the morning of the home invasion.
Morgan was arrested in January this year and told police he had no clue where he was on February 24, 2017.
He denied knowledge of the address where the home invasion occurred, the young victim or the firearm.
Morgan’s defence counsel Robert Timms told the court his client began using drugs as a teenager, but his drug use escalated after the murder of his best friend.
“This death had a profound impact on my client,” Mr Timms said, adding Morgan had also suffered from suicide ideation as a result.
The court heard Morgan had posted derogatory remarks about police on social media in 2017 and rode a motorcycle dangerously.
He was also convicted in October last year for a burglary committed in January 2017.
But Mr Timms said his client’s offending was limited to a short period in 2017 and had stopped.
He said Morgan appeared to have been doing well on a community corrections order until his arrest, and had acknowledged his “very, very serious” offending.
Morgan had also ceased taking drugs, he said, and complied with every direction while in custody.
Mr Timms said his client told him he had been at a friend's house on the night in question when he was asked to "go for a ride".
He asked the court to consider a longer-than-normal parole period for Morgan.
But Judge Lisa Hannan declined to sentence Morgan until a thorough psychiatric evaluation was undertaken to determine whether he experienced any damage from drugs or mental deficits that could be submitted as ‘special reasons’ on his behalf.
Without special reasons, Morgan faces a mandatory minimum of three years’ imprisonment on the aggravated home invasion charge alone.
Morgan was supported in court by several people, including his partner.
He was remanded to return to court in December.
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