Liam McNally
Two men have been sent to prison following an aggravated home invasion in which a man was shot in the face in Wyndham Vale and a separate aggravated burglary in Footscray.
The County Court heard that in the early hours of July 8, 2021 Thiep Thiep and Deng Kuol, who were affiliated with Melbourne gang Black Drill Kings (BDK), targetted a home in Wyndham Vale in retaliation for the stabbing of a friend weeks earlier.
The victim, Mr Atem, awoke to Thiep, Kuol and two other men with their faces covered smashing through his rear glass sliding door with a chair.
An altercation ensued in which Mr Atem, while trying to stop the intruders, was hit with a chair, struck with a garden stake to the head five or six times, and stabbed twice before Thiep let off two shots from his .22 calibre handgun.
The second bullet hit Mr Atem to the left side of his nose and travelled through his head, lodging behind his right ear.
The commotion caused other members of the household – Mr Atem’s mother, wife and four children – to wake up and scream, leading the invaders to flee.
Mr Atem was admitted and remained at the Royal Melbourne Hospital until July 13.
The court also heard how on November 30, 2021 Thiep was involved in an aggravated burglary of a jewellery store in Footscray in which he and two others smashed their way through with sledgehammers and stole approximately $428,560 worth of goods while the owners were inside.
Thiep was interviewed by police on December 2, 2021. He initially denied any involvement in the incident, but was placed in a cell with two covert operatives who later offered him a ride home. On the journey he discussed the incident.
“[I had ‘beef’ with some c****… cause I know he stabbed my mate… So I went and shot his dad,” he said.
“I dropped my vape at the scene.”
He also showed the operatives a YouTube news clip of the jewellery store burglary and identified himself in the footage as the first person to exit the store.
In a victim impact statement Mr Atem said he and his family came to Australia for a better life but that hope has been destroyed.
He said he lives in fear and is hypervigilant to his surroundings. The nightmares still cause him to jump out of bed, he is unable to socialise or work and remains in constant pain as a result of the physical injuries.
Judge Pardeep Tiwana sentenced Thiep to nine years and nine months in prison for nine charges, and Kuol was sentenced to six years and nine months for two charges.
