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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Toby Vue

Jail for armed home invader after victim attacked, burnt with jet lighter

The ACT Supreme Court has sentenced Bailey Hagen to jail for a home invasion in July 2021. Picture Facebook

A man armed with a large knife or machete during a home invasion that involved the victim being dragged onto her verandah and assaulted, including having her hair burnt, has been sentenced to jail.

Agreed facts tendered to the ACT Supreme Court state that Bailey Hagen, a child, and three women, including his mother Trinity Lee Hagen, went to the victim's Hawker home about 2am one day in July 2021.

The victim, convicted arsonist Samantha Chatfield, had previously been in a relationship with another Hagen who was remanded in custody at the time.

That person, Jordan Hagen, emailed new partner Mikaela Engeler about 90 minutes before the offending and urged her to retrieve his "shit" from Ms Chatfield.

"KICK THE F---ING DOOR IN," part of one message read.

When the group turned up at Ms Chatfield's home, Bailey Hagen went into the apartment with the child and asked for "my brother's shit".

Ms Chatfield told them to get out but they did not and Engeler dragged her out the front door to the verandah.

There, Engeler and co-offender Rebecca Eade punched and kicked Ms Chatfield, including to her head.

Bailey Hagen, 20, picked up a large knife or machete at some point and stood nearby to prevent Ms Chatfield's brother from stopping the assault.

During the attack, which involved Engeler burning Ms Chatfield's hair with a jet lighter, Trinity Hagen went into the victim's bedroom before leaving with "several bags of items"

A neighbour called triple zero to report the incident and Ms Chatfield was later found to have cuts to her right torso and right hand, singed hair, and welts on her forehead and neck.

Bailey Hagen pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated burglary and joint commission assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

In his recently published sentencing judgment, Justice Geoffrey Kennett said the burglary was a "significant disruption and invasion of Ms Chatfield's privacy, as well as that of the people who were with her".

"The offender's own role was important. He was one of the first to enter the premises ... He armed himself at some stage with a large knife or machete, which necessarily created some level of threat," Justice Kennett said.

"The offending was planned to some degree, although the offender's role in that planning appears not to have been central."

The judge said the victim's injuries were "not serious but were real" and that the fire to her hair "must have caused at least some level of fear".

"The offender was not directly involved in the infliction of harm. However, he stood in close proximity to the victim," Justice Kennett said.

"The offender's moral culpability for the assault was less than that of Ms Engeler and Ms Eade. He did not directly cause any physical injuries or strike Ms Chatfield."

Hagen was sentenced to 12 months in jail for the aggravated burglary and two months for the assault.

Both were backdated to June 26 to reflect his time in custody. The former term is to be suspended after four months upon the offender entering a good behaviour order until next June.

Engeler and Eade were sentenced by the Magistrates Court to suspended jail terms for their roles while Hagen's mother is set to be sentenced in the Supreme Court in December.

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