A father-of-three suffered a broken hand after confronting an alleged intruder armed with a machete who was attempting to break into his family's home in the early hours of the morning. Daniel Shoppee, 38, broke the 17-year-old boy's jaw after allegedly spotting him inside his parents' gated home at around 5.30am on Wednesday.
Altercation at family home
Mr Shoppee's parents, both in their 60s, knew something was wrong when they spotted a car loitering outside their Port Melbourne home in Melbourne, Australia. The parents went outside to scope out the situation while Mr Shoppee, his wife and their three children – aged one, two, and four – remained inside.
The mystery car had driven away as the couple approached it. Then, Mr Shoppee's mother let out a 'blood curdling scream' when she noticed a second figure allegedly standing inside the gate of their home. The 17-year-old, allegedly armed with a machete, appeared to be attempting to break inside the house.
Confrontation and arrest
Mr Shoppee and his father immediately ran to confront the alleged intruder, leaving Mr Shoppee with a fractured hand and the teenager with a broken jaw. "People might say he's only 17 but he was a big guy and he was carrying a massive machete. It doesn't matter what age someone is when they're coming at you with a machete at 5.30am," Mr Shoppee told the Herald Sun.
Police arrived soon after the altercation and arrested the teenager at the scene. He was charged with attempted aggravated burglary and possessing a prohibited weapon. Mr Shoppee claimed officers on the scene recognised the boy, who had been released from a 49-day sentence just a week prior. He had been jailed for a series of burglaries committed in Port Melbourne in August, just a few hundred metres from Mr Shoppee's family home.
Family's fear and call for change
The father explained he and his family were staying with his parents while their home underwent renovation. Now, none of the family can rest easily. "We're at such a poor level in Victoria where families can't feel safe in their own home," Mr Shoppee said. "We're not asking for something remarkable here, we just want to feel safe. There has to be a change."
The threatening nature of the alleged incident had left the family so scared they no longer felt safe walking to the supermarket. "He was raising this machete above his head, screaming at us, 'I won't hurt you if you open the gate'," Mr Shoppee told 7News. "...It's anger, it's sadness - overwhelming sadness of it all. Disappointment in just being let down time and time again by government."
Mr Shoppee thanked responding officers who 'are doing their best' to cope with rising crime in Melbourne but noted they seemed 'deflated'. He called for the government to reform youth crime legislation in favour of harsher penalties. The alleged intruder will be held in custody until he appears in a children's court at a later date.
