23 July 2021

Carpenter thought he was 'Superman' when he led violent home invasion, court told

| Albert McKnight
Join the conversation
1
Marco Marzotto

Marco Marzotto, 33, has pleaded guilty to several charges relating to a home invasion last year. Photo: Facebook.

A court has heard Marco Marzotto was high on drugs and alcohol and thought he was “Superman” when he led a group of people he had just met on an early-morning home invasion and pushed a pregnant woman.

On Thursday (22 July), Justice David Mossop told the ACT Supreme Court the attack included a form of “self-help” as some of the group’s members believed they had been wronged by a man who was their main victim.

He said the events began on the night of 9 July 2020 when Tianna Lee Robb, Dylan Crick and Letitia Humphries went to the adult entertainment Wanderlust Club in Mitchell and met up with Jordan Connor Knight and Morgan Facer.

There they also met Marzotto, now 33, for the first time. He was a carpenter who only had one month to go on parole.

They began to talk about how they believed their future victim had committed serious offences against several of them and that his phone contained evidence of his alleged crimes.

READ ALSO Home invader tried to protect pregnant woman during night of violence

Some of them drove to the man’s north Canberra home, intending to threaten him so he would delete the alleged evidence.

When they arrived about 2:00 am on 10 July, they yelled at him to come out of the house, then one of them smashed a window to gain entry and most went inside.

Seeing people in her home, their victim’s mother walked towards them into the lounge room, followed by his pregnant sister.

Jordan Connor Knight and Tianna Lee Robb

Jordan Connor Knight, 23, and Tianna Lee Robb, 22, pictured outside the ACT Courts in July. Photos: Albert McKnight

But Marzotto pushed the mother and told her: “If you don’t shut up, I’ll knock you out”.

He then pushed his victim’s sister into a bedroom, even though she yelled that she was pregnant.

When Robb saw Marzotto push the sister, she stepped in front of her, “because I didn’t want anything to happen [to her]”, she would tell the court.

Marzotto found their victim in another bedroom and swung a punch at him, causing him to fall onto a bed.

Knight held him down while Crick punched him in the head. Knight then let go of his arms and punched him in the ribs and the back of the head.

Finally, Marzotto picked up a decorative glass plate and smashed it over their victim’s head. The group then took two of his phones.

Before they left, Robb, who didn’t enter the room where their victim was beaten, apologised to his mother and sister.

“I didn’t know it was going to go that far,” she told the court.

The man’s sister was taken to hospital for observation due to her pregnancy and a high blood pressure reading while the group went back to the Wanderlust Club where Marzotto destroyed the phones.

Dylan Crick

Dylan Crick leaves the ACT Courts earlier this year. Photo: Albert McKnight

On Friday (23 July), Marzotto’s lawyer, James Sabharwal of Burley Griffin Chambers, told the Supreme Court his client had just met the others that night and was under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

“I don’t know why he poked his nose into other people’s business,” he said.

“It wasn’t his problem at all.

“But, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, he probably thought he was Superman.”

Prosecutor Katrina Marson said Marzotto exerted his influence on the others and was the leading member of the group.

She said he had suggested they talk to their victim, kicked the door of the house, pushed their victim’s mother and sister, initiated the assault on their victim and broke the phones after they were stolen.

READ ALSO Home invader warned against vigilantism after assaulting victim over perceived crimes

On Thursday, Justice Mossop said Robb, 22, had justified her actions by saying she wanted to “seek retribution”.

She had wanted their victim to admit what he had allegedly done but did not intend for the night to escalate in the way it did.

Justice Mossop also said while she admitted she felt sorry for their victim’s mother and sister, she did not feel sorry for their victim himself.

When it came to Knight, he said the 23-year-old “did in fact cause harm”.

He said the concreter, who had started a plumbing apprenticeship, had attempted to justify his actions by claiming that he had been given misleading information before the home invasion.

On Thursday, Robb was sentenced to a two-year good behaviour order with 200 hours of community service.

Knight was sentenced to about 11 months in jail to be served via an intensive corrections order, fined $800, given a 12-month good behaviour order as well as 50 hours of community service.

Crick, 24, Humphries, 21, and Facer, 27, have all been sentenced.

Marzotto will be sentenced on Monday (26 July) by Justice John Burns. He pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, assault and damaging property.

Join the conversation

1
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

Time and time again these types of crimes are committed by people high on drugs.

Regardless of the legality of drugs please please drive home to your friends and family that drugs are not funny or cool and that if you are taking them you are a bloody idiot and a pathetic loser.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.