Gun fired, violence inflicted during alleged burglary spree

A woman is accused of playing a role in a spree of alleged burglaries, during which a man was attacked with a pole and a gun was fired.

Samantha Gaye Chatfield, 32, was arrested over the allegations along with 24-year-old Jordan Hagen and 23-year-old William James Bowman.

Firstly, on the night of 9 November, a woman arrived at her home in Duffy when she allegedly saw Chatfield and a pole-wielding Hagen running towards her, court documents say.

The woman fled, screamed for help from the man who lived with her, and began to call police.

It is alleged this man tried to push Hagen away when he tried to enter their home, but Hagen pushed him back and used the pole to hit him in the face and arm.

The man closed the door and held it shut while the alleged wannabe burglars tried to get inside before giving up, but they stole items from the woman’s car before leaving.

Next, Chatfield, Hagen and Bowman are accused of being behind an alleged burglary at Duffy on the night of 20 November.

This alleged incident was not formally reported to police, but just after it, the home’s resident sent an email to her partner, who was in the Alexander Maconochie Centre, saying, “Oi, Jordy, Sam and Will just ran through our house boo?”

The couple then spoke about the alleged incident on the phone, including how a gun was fired.

“They f-ing put one through my roof thank you. I am looking at the hole right now,” the resident alleged.

Court documents say Hagen had pulled a firearm out of his trench coat and fired it into the ceiling during the alleged incident. Also, when the resident told them to leave, they allegedly stole a phone before fleeing.

Police visited the home and while the resident would not talk to them about the allegations, they did see a hole in the home’s roof just inside the front door.

Lastly, it is alleged Chatfield and Bowman tried to break into a home in Mawson on the afternoon of 21 November. She allegedly threw bricks to smash a window before the pair left.

Police said that when Chatfield and Hagen were arrested together two days later, Hagen repeatedly called out to her that he loved her.

Chatfield has pleaded not guilty to charges that include single counts of aggravated burglary and damaging property as well as two counts of attempted aggravated burglary. She applied for bail in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday (14 December).

Her lawyer, Peter Agoth of Peter Agoth & Associates, said she wanted to live at her home in Monash, had been offered a job in the community and had written a letter for the court in which she expressed remorse.

She isn’t alleged to be the person who fired the gun.

Prosecutor Colin Balog, when opposing bail, said the alleged victims of the burglaries had expressed significant concerns about retribution.

Magistrate Glenn Theakston noted the allegations involved significant violence. He didn’t think there were any bail conditions that could address the issues and refused bail.

Chatfield was remanded in custody for a pre-hearing mention on 1 February.

Meanwhile, neither of her co-defendants applied for bail when they faced court last month.

Bowman was charged with aggravated burglary and attempted aggravated burglary and was remanded in custody to 18 December.

Hagen was handed charges that include assault, attempted burglary and aggravated burglary. He pleaded not guilty and has been remanded in custody to 11 January.