Mother allegedly helped raid home of her son's ex, who was slapped with machete

A mother has been accused of invading the home of her son’s ex-girlfriend along with a team of her co-accused while the woman was allegedly beaten up, had her hair burnt with a lighter and was slapped in the head with a machete.

Trinity Lee Hagen had already been refused bail before applying for it again in the ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday (23 March). The last application had been rejected because there were concerns that releasing her into the community could place the alleged victim at risk.

“Well, things have taken a somewhat unusual turn because the victim of the alleged offending is now in prison herself and is living even closer to the applicant [Ms Hagen], although probably being kept apart,” Justice Michael Elkaim said before granting her bail.

In court documents it is alleged the complainant, who used to be in a relationship with Ms Hagen’s son, was at her unit in the north Canberra suburb of Hawker at about 2 am on 31 July 2021.

Ms Hagen and her two co-accused allegedly entered the unit without permission, despite the complainant telling the co-accused to get out, and went into a bedroom where they started packing items into bags.

Some of the items belonged to the complainant, and a witness at the scene alleged Ms Hagen was carrying a short-bladed knife.

Meanwhile, the complainant was allegedly dragged outside to the veranda where two other women punched and kicked her in the head, then one of Ms Hagen’s co-accused reportedly used a machete to smack her in the head and pointed it at her back and neck.

One of the women also allegedly used a “jet lighter” to burn the complainant’s hair. Her injuries included welts to her head and neck, cuts to her ear, torso and hand, as well as singed hair.

Afterwards, Ms Hagen called police and told them she had gone to the unit with her co-accused to get her son’s belongings, and there had been a commotion when one of the people there allegedly charged at them with a saw.

She also emailed her son to say she had just gotten back from his “evil” ex’s.

“Went there to get your clothes and f-k me wow what a commotion there was aye, I’d love to hear what comes of this now,” she told him.

Ms Hagen will fight charges of joint commission aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and assault at a July 2022 trial.

On Wednesday, barrister Duncan Berents applied to the Supreme Court for her to be released on bail, arguing there had been a change in the circumstances of the case which would allow this to happen.

He said the complainant had been jailed at the AMC until 2023 so could no longer potentially be harassed in the community. Also, while in jail, she was, in fact, in closer contact with Ms Hagen.

Mr Berents said his client could be released on conditions, including that she lives with family in Yarralumla, but the Crown Prosecutor opposed bail, arguing the pair were being kept separate behind bars.

However, Justice Elkaim was satisfied with a change in circumstances, and she could be released on strict conditions so she was granted bail.