Man uses machete to slice open victim's head during early morning home invasion

After a man tried to warn off two home invaders with a machete as they broke into his unit, one wrestled the blade from his grasp and used it to slice open his head.

It was almost 4:30 am and the victim was watching television in bed in Reid on 19 July 2021 when he spotted Villiam Bo Pikula and another unknown man through a baby monitor as they approached his front door.

Pikula carried a carving knife while his friend had a baseball bat. The victim grabbed a machete and went to ask what they wanted.

One said, “Where is it? Give it to us”, then they tried to bash the door in while a woman inside the unit pushed against it.

The home invaders managed to get inside but were confronted by the victim who hit Pikula with the machete while the man’s dog attacked his legs.

They wrestled and Pikula wrenched away the machete, threatened to cut the victim’s head off and struck him with the weapon before leaving.

A neighbour heard the cries for help and called police.

Officers arrived and followed a bloody trail from the victim’s home to a nearby unit where they discovered Pikula, bleeding, along with a bloodstained knife.

The 39-year-old was convicted on charges of assault and aggravated burglary and sentenced to four years and four months’ jail in the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday (25 August).

In a statement for the court, the victim said he now suffers from anxiety and flashbacks due to the attack and found his friends avoid him because of his irrational mood swings.

He has also noticed a difference with his short-term memory and feels like his dog, who was present during the home invasion, is less close to him.

“[My dog] has also found it hard. He wishes to protect me – but must trust others to walk him – he doesn’t understand why I am being distant is for his own well-being,” the victim said.

Pikula already had 14 convictions for break and enter, as well as four for assault before this attack. He was, in fact, on parole for break and enter and assault from NSW at the time.

His mother wrote a reference for the court in which she said he was a decent person, particularly when not using drugs.

The court heard he was using one milligram of methamphetamine each day at one stage of his life and blamed his offences on his drug use.

Pikula also told psychiatrist Dr Richard Furst, who thought he had ADHD and schizophrenia, he was helping his friend who had an issue with the victim.

Other than working in prison, he has never been employed and has relied on the disability support pension.

Justice Michael Elkaim said Pikula, who pleaded guilty, had perhaps abandoned the possibility of leading a law-abiding life in society, but thought he still had a prospect of a decent future.

The justice set a non-parole period of two years and six months’ jail so he will be entitled to parole on 18 January 2024.

Pikula huffed and shook his head when told he would remain in jail until at least 2024, then gestured at Justice Elkaim as he was walking away from the bench and swore.