PART 3 - The Home Invasion

OOOOh i forgot one major thing..... when we left Canungra and rented a property in Coomera... we also had a visit from the so called Police... One hot night my one year old son kept waking up... Wayne was asleep in bed, and then suddenly at our bedroom sliding door a man appeared, waving a police badge, demanding me to let him in... Wayne woke up... and then we heard a knock at the front door where another man was, saying he was from Broadbeach Police... these guys looked young and after allowing those other men into my house... no way was I going to do that again... so i told them i needed to verify who they were so I called Broadbeach Police. They gave me some dodgy name and both of them scattered... It was another close call... these type of things happen when your young and have money...

Anyway, i will continue where i left off in Part 2...

It was a friday night and my mother, who had flown up from Victoria for 2 weeks, suggested that me and Wayne go to the pub and have dinner together... just the two of us.... So off we go.... After dinner, a man approached us at our table and said Hi to Wayne.... I had never met this man... I will only call him by his first name... His name was Charlie... Wayne told me later on that he had known him from years prior and hadnt seen him in a long time...It ended up being a nice night... both of them caught up with each other.... but one conversation really interested Charlie... Wayne had told him how we had lived out at Canungra and how my father was subdividing the land he owned into 5 acre lots... Charlie was really keen to look at them.... So keen infact, that he was at our door at 9am, wanting us to take him to my fathers property... I ended up meeting his partner that day and found out that their daughter went to the same school as Jamie-lee and was in the same grade... they owned a huge house out at Wongawollan... I also found out that he was infact a big time drug dealer.... Wayne had now been selling pot for many years and had the same customers and kept it all in the same circle... We were self employed, Wayne was still doing Upholstery which he was really really good at... But when Charlie started coming around, he opened Waynes eyes into other bigger things... and these things could make him alot of money.... At the time I was oblivious to what was really going on.... I basically found out most of what was going on after Wayne died... At the same time... we had been introduced to the local water delivery guy through our past neighbours and him and Wayne clicked, and together they were like two boys... they both liked fast cars... the gym... drugs... and money.... He was married and had 2 children and we spent alot of time at their place or them at ours... I had problems clicking with the wife... and would some times dread going over there...

Okay, this may sound like this has nothing to do with anything.. but i have to tell you a bit about Wayne... the Wayne i knew... He was a major health junkie... I juiced so much dam juice when i was married that i still to this day, hate the site of "juicers"... he was the type of guy that would drink only on friday nights and the weekend but during the week we were not allowed to touch it.... i was a great cook... and food was huge to him... he didnt care how much i spent on food... as long as it was on tap for him... ha ha... When he was sick, i would have to force him to take a panedol.. He didnt smoke the pot and either did I....And Wayne loved the gym... He had that type of body that could gain muscle quickly... and i have the same type of body too.. so when friends starting saying stuff like... your on the roids etc... It went straight over my head... cause i thought there was no way he would do that shit.... Then one night when the water delivery guy and his wife came over... him and Wayne went upstairs to our bedroom... which i thought was od... after a while i went up there to find out what was going on... I opened our ensuite door and there was Wayne with a needle in his hand... just about to give himself a jab... I was guttered... I went downstairs and told his wife.. and she came out and said to me that she knew it was going on and infact.. she was the one the gave Wayne his first jab in his arse... and she was fucking proud of it too... Her husband had the type of body that needed steriods to even look like he had some muscle... but wayne... he didnt need it... but its highly addictive.. and from that point on he never got off it... and he changed.. his whole personality changed... from this point on it was just a downhill spiral... it was out of control.... he became abusive, and did horrible things infront of the kids... he was jealous as fuck anyway, but this made it worse... I didnt do anything wrong... I wouldnt even go on girls nights out because it caused so much drama... but in the end I was starting to resent him... for all the shit he was putting me through... It was embarassing.... I made excuses for him all the time... My best friend from Victoria was getting married and I was one of the bridemaids. She had booked accommodation for the wedding party in the city that was a bed and breakfast.. we all had our own bedrooms but shared bathroom and we all ate in the dining area... but the first night we arrived we stayed with my girlfriend at her house... My girlfriend had always had a simple life... no real drama or anything... but the first night we all went to the local pub for dinner... Wayne did his usual, and starting order shots.. long story short..it was great, we all had a laugh... but when we got back to her place Wayne started... OMG, he wouldnt shut up... he was angry, he started pushing me around... I was putting pillows around the door so she couldnt hear.. he ended up punching the wall and putting a hole in it... I was so so embarassed, and the same thing happened on her wedding night... she was aware that something wasnt right but i just lied and said everything was fine... Wayne was off his fucking head... he was putting speed in my nasel spray bottle and wasnt sleeping...I just wanted to go to sleep... But these jealous out bursts were doing my head in... I remember calling my sister when i got home and told her a little bit of what had happened in Melbourne... I was home with the kids when i called her... Wayne wasnt home... then a day or two later, Wayne started going off about what i had said to my sister... I was like, what the?? He seemed to know everything i had said to her... OMFG was he recording my phone calls.... I was furious... I figured it all out one morning i dropped Jamie lee off to school... then picked up my niece (who was the same age as my son) who I was minding for a few hours..its amazing what goes through your head when your driving and what you think about... but I figured it out... when we got home I set the kids up with a movie and started looking for this recorder... we were still doing some small renovations to the house and we had only just got a door on Waynes workshop... the door handle was not on it... i went to go into his workshop as it also had a phone connection in there but the door was locked... yet there was no door handle... so i could see through the hole and i could clearly see some sort of recording device right next to the phone...... I went back inside. told the kids that this movie had to be watched with the volume up really loud... My heart was racing and i was mad as hell... I tried getting in to the workshop.. but couldnt so in a mad fury.. I just kicked the door down... and there it was.. this stupid recording device... I ripped out the tape and stomped all over it... But that morning, we also had arranged for a company to come and do a quote for some irrigation to be installed in the gardens... They arrived the same time Wayne got home... I didnt care less that they were there, i just stormed out the door and screamed and yelled at Wayne right infront of them... they jut got in their car and ran.... but he never stopped recording me... if he couldnt record my phone calls he had listen devices at my best friends house.. (my sister inlaw who was actually married to waynes brother).. Or i was spied on... and this continued until the day he died... for the next 3 years my life was recorded... and it was a horrible feeling... Wayne told me that Charlie had told him how he recorded his partner and Wayne thought he may as well do it to me too... but i did nothing wrong... all it did was make me see that it was him that was doing the wrong things behind my back... He always denied everything... but I knew what he was doing and if I did catch him out I would be showered in gifts and flowers and told how much he loved me blaa blaa blaa... It made no difference in the end...I felt like we were drifting apart and i was sick of being hurt and lied to... and his abusive episodes..He was binge drinking... he would be like "my body is my temple" during the week.. and on the weekends he would get smashed as hell and just keep going to avoid the hangovers... He was taking way too much speed and if i didnt want it, it would end up in my drink... with me awake for 2 days... it gave me major anxiety... It was so strong and I hated it... Friends would drop in for a drink friday night and end up staying the whole weekend.. it was out of control... and if that didnt happen... he would be with his mates at Melbas in Surfers Paradise... or at strip clubs spending his money on lap dances... it was hard for me to handle... It wasnt a nice life... I started to hate the water delivery guy and his wife... I felt they were so responsible for introducing Wayne to steriods... I will never forgive them for what they did to him...I felt that connection you have with the person you love was fading away... we were distant from each other and I didnt even know half the time where he even was or what he was doing... He came home one day and told me that he found this old boat at Bundall and bought it... (before we would of discussed it together).. the water man lived on the canal so he was trying to get the boat to start to get it his place... when it arrived a few days later i was there to see him pull up in it... I was horrified.. it looked like something out of Mchales Navy.. It was red... and steel and looked like a submarine.. yet it was above water... Wayne ended up taking it to boat park and started repairs on it... Wayne told me it was an original "Cigarette" a 42 foot boat that was used to smuggle drugs from Mexico into the US because it was fast... It had 2 V8 inboard motors in it... and they were loud... . One of the motors had to be replaced and the other was rebuilt... He had every man and his dog work on the thing and it stayed at boat park for 5 months... and when it was finished, it was a totally different boat... It looked amazing... Everywhere we went in it.. it created a crowd of people.. just to look at it... we were kicked out of almost every Marina on the gold coast as just starting it woke people up... Doing 5 knots out of the marina and it just rumbled... the whole way out... Finally Hope Island allowed us to moor the boat there... But for the first time since i had known Wayne he was becoming Materialistic.. wanting to show off his wealth.. where before he wanted to hide it... We used the boat that summer but the plan was to sell it... to make money from it...

It was 1998 and we actually had a really nice xmas... that year we had Christmas day with friends of ours... Karl and Michelle... Wayne had known Karl from when he lived in NZ.. and i got along with Michelle like a house on fire.. we just clicked... she loved a drink, she was funny... I loved going over there... they had no children so they adored our kids and spoiled the hell out of them... I have a really nice photo of Wayne and Myself that was taken that day that i love... i still have it in a frame today... but i remembering it being peaceful and relaxing and everything seemed calm...

When the kids finished school that year and were going on school holidays, i remember seeing Charlies partner at the school.. she was frantic.. she told me that she had broken up with Charlie and she was getting the hell out of there.. she seemed to be really scared... I didnt know what to make of it at the time.. was he a scary man... well i wasnt sure.. I never ever saw her again after that day.. but i do recall Christmas night.. at Karl and Michelles, and suddenly there was a knock at their door and it was Charlie.. something had happended.. I wasnt quiet sure what it was, but he had the 2 kids with him and it was late.. they were tired... his daughter fell asleep on the couch and I remembering picking up his son... who was so cute.. and sat him on my lap and basically nursed him to sleep... some drama had happened and the boys were all talking inside, private and stuff... But I rocked his son to sleep that night.. he was a friend and we all helped him out...

Fast forward to Australia Day 1999... Little did I know at the time, but this day would change my life for ever... I was 33 years old at the time... My kids were 8 and 5 years old... I remember it was a beautiful day.. the kids were riding their bikes in the new driveway.. which was a U shape... we had also just got a hand rail put on the staircase... which was made of wood, but it had not yet been painted... Well we were having a lovely morning.. then we heard a couple of motor bikes in our driveway... It was Charlie and his brother... whom I had met before... Maudsland at the time was well known to the bikies as they would ride past our house on their way to Canugra or Beechmont for one of their long weekend rides... Then not long after they arrived, Johno.. who was probably Waynes oldest of friends who both him and me had known for a long time... I knew Johno before I had even met Wayne... At the time..

At the time, we had heard that Charlie had things stashed everywhere..at his mothers place, his daughters place and some at his brothers place... And when these places got raided by Police... he let his family members take the rap for him... and wouldnt even pay for their legal fees... Wayne and I went not sure if this was true or not... but that day... Johno was on a mission to find out if this gossip about Charlie was true or not.. I remember him asking Charlie about it... was it true that you allowed your own daughter to take the rap.. blaa blaa... and after about 6 or 7 drinks.. charlie finally just got up and smacked Johno in the face... And no way could I see that coming... Charlie seemed calm... and then suddenly.. whack... and he kept going... Johno was not ready for it and he got hammered... Wayne had to step in to try to break it up... the kids were screaming... etc etc... and whilst Wayne was trying to break it up... he cops one in the face... and OMG.. Wayne went from zero to ten... Wayne had just been yelling out to Charlie... dont do this in my house infront of my kids etc etc... then after he gets hit... i could see him lose it.. I had to then stop Wayne from hitting Charlie... I said you just told him not infront of the kids... so dont you do it... the fight had gone from the kitchen bench over to the stair case and our new hand rail got smashed up because of it... when it was all over... Johno was a mess... blood everywhere and his whole face swelled up ... it was not a good site... yet they both calmed down and stayed for at least another hour or so trying to sort it all out... By this stage i realise that Charlie is the guy who let his daughter go to jail for him... or his brother take the rap for his drugs etc etc... I never really knew him like Wayne did.. but i was starting to his true colours... and I didnt really like him at all... Plus he ended up buying property off my father... he told him that he would pay him so much cash and the rest from the bank... but my Dad never ever got any cash from him... So I wasnt exactly a fan of his... But his true colours were about to be exposed .... And we found out first hand what exactly this man was capable of...

It was now March of 1999... Wayne brother had recently been separated and was spending most Friday nights at the Parkwood Tavern... on this night.. Wayne and I were in bed when we received a phone call from his brother... he was telling Wayne that Charlie had been at the Tavern and that they had got into an arguement and Charlie had hit him a few times... and he was angry... Wayne jumped out of bed, got dressed and raced out the door... I didnt know what was going on... all I knew was that wayne was going to get his brother... when usually Wayne wouldnt get involved in these kinds of matters, but Wayne was still pissed off that Charlie had hit him in the face on Australia Day.. so this was his chance to get even... an hour or so later the phone rings.. its Charlie, asking where Wayne was... I said i wasnt sure. but Charlie said to tell him to stay away from his mothers pace... apparently Wayne and his brother had been to Charlies mums house looking for him... I dont really know exactly what went on that night but Wayne returned around mid morning with his brother and another guy and from what i over heard, they had found Charlie and Im pretty sure they gave him a beating... I dont know how bad it was etc... but Charlie was about to get revenge on Wayne...

One morning.. im rushing out the door to get the kids to school when I noticed that our dog had some injuries on her... it looked like she had gravel rashes on her ... like scrapes... it looked like she may of jumped off the back of ute or something while it was moving... We didnt have our yard fully fenced off at the time and she would often come around to the front of the house if we went out and wait for us to return.. she HATED THE CAR.. and would get car sick and vomit and vomit the whole time... but these injuries were strange.. I just couldnt work out how she would of got them...

on the following friday night, we all went out for dinner and dropped into Karl and Michelles on the way home... we didnt stay long because the kids were getting tired... we were probably gone for an hour and half... when we got home, the dog wasnt there... which was strange... we spend hours that night looking for her... Plus we lived in Maudsland.. there was only farm houses around us at the time... where the hell could she of gone... we got flyers printed out... we were all devastated.. she was only about 12 months old... it was just so strange.. no one had seen her..and we got no response from any of the flyers... there was no trace of her.. if she had been hit by a car.. there wasnt even a body to be found.. she just disappeared...

With Easter fast approaching... Wayne decided that we would spend Easter at Tipplers, use the boat to go up there.. and stay in a cabin on the island.. He wanted to cheer us all up after the loss of the dog... then straight after, he would put the boat up for sale...

We had a lovely Easter, but we were all still pretty miserable from the loss of the dog... the Saturday after Easter we were invited to a wedding... So on the friday... myself, my mum and the kids spent the day together shopping for something nice for me to wear to this wedding... We had a huge day, going from Pacific Fair, to Robina town centre and to Southport... by the time we got home the kids were exhausted and ended up going to bed early... Wayne and i started watching a Movie downstairs... At around 9pm... We get a knock at door... and someone is yelling out.. "have you lost dog mate" that got my attention so i stood up... but i could see by Waynes reaction that something wasnt right... By the time I had gotten up, I could see Wayne approach the door, then back off... We had 2 double front doors with stained glass in the middle of them.. the stained glass was a picture of Kookaburras... Wayne could see through the stained glass... and he could see a man wearing a balaclava.. he backed up towards the kitchen and the only thing we had to protect ourselves was a silly pepper spray pen... he grabbed that, looked at me and said go to the workshop and call the police... by this stage, the man had smashed through the stained glass and was now climbing through it and opening the door... there was not just one man, there were five... i ran into the work shop and called OOO only to have the phone line ripped from the wall... i was forced to go down on my knees... they then proceeded to tape up my eyes and my mouth and tie my hands up behind my back... i was shaking like a leaf... I could feel a gun be put to my head... to get to the workshop i had to run out into the 2 car garage then into the workshop... i now felt so far away... Wayne had left the radio on in the workshop which was interferring in what i could hear... and my children... they were upstairs asleep... they felt so far away from me... I could hear the sounds of Wayne being beaten... the crunching of their fists in his face... I could just see only slightly down.. and could see them coming in and getting shovels... I knew i could easily untie my hands as they did a shit job of tying them together... and when i felt that no one was there with me... I knew I had to get to my car... My mobile phone was in the car... In those days we barely used them... but i knew i needed to get to mine and get to it fast... when my hands were free i ripped the tape from my eyes and mouth and ran to the car...but i got caught... and when they found the mobile phone.. they just smashed it... infront of me... I saw one of the men grab my indoor plant that was in a pot.. a big pot... and drop it on Waynes head... I didnt know how long it had been but it felt like forever... and I thought Wayne is going to die... I didnt want to leave the house and my kids but i knew had to try to get help... I was tied up again, and taped up again.. but this time they left me in the car... I easily untied my hands again... ripped off the tape and was just about to jump out of the garage windows (they had no fly screens on them) and run down to the farmer to get some help... when I heard gun shots... OMFG I couldnt believe it... I thought they have killed Wayne, he is dead... I must of froze for a moment... im not sure... but then the garage door started opening and i could see the shadow of the police car lights as the door went up, then suddenly Wayne appeared... all bloodied and his head was so swollen... He grabbed me and hugged me and said the police are hear... I ran upstairs to the kids straight away... My daughter told me how she had called the police, but my son was frozen, scared to death still in bed.. apparently they had got my daughter to get out of bed and go into my sons room to stay together... they showed the kids they had a gun... and they told them NOT TO MOVE... but my brave daughter kept going into our bedroom, where we had a phone to call the police because she said she knew that robbers had entered the house... In no time an ambulance had arrived and Wayne was taken away... and didnt see him again until the following afternoon at the hospital when he had gotten out of surgery.. they had smashed his arm with a police batten and wayne had put his arm up to defend himself... he needed pins and plates put in.. they had used the shovel on his head... he had 3 big deep shovel marks on his head.. they had tried to cut his fingers off with cigar cutters.. they were tasering him the whole time... he had black eyes, cuts and scratches and swelling all over his face and his body was full of bruises... Apparently the police arrived, not really knowing what was going on but arrived thinking there may be someone robbing the house... but the 5 men started to scatter when they arrived and one of the men approached the police officer from behind, grabbing his gun and putting it to the officers head... Wayne, in his battered state, saw what had happened and kicked the gun out his hand... they managed to only put one handcuff on the guy before he got away... out of the 5 men, 2 were caught and arrested... I remember being upstairs with the kids when i looked out the window and was gob smacked with what was going on.. the whole place was lit up with cop cars .. there were detectives there in bullet proof vests... the media was there... a helicopter with a huge spot light on, trying to locate the other men...and there was money scattered all over the lawn area of where the pool was...Notes flying everywhere... I couldnt work that one out so I ran downstairs to get a cigarette... I was desperate.. only to be told i couldnt go into the kitchen etc cause all of the downstairs area was now a crime scene and if Wayne dies, they needed all the evidence preserved... I was shocked... what.. Wayne dying... No way... I just raced in, grabbed my bag and got a smoke...

I remember my Mum arriving... My mum was told to take the kids to the Surfers Paradise Police station so they could be interviewed and i was stay with the police and would later on take me to the police station to make a statement... It was horrible seeing so many Police and detectives in the house... seeing Waynes blood splatted around everywhere.. big thick drops of blood that had been sprayed over the tv cabinet.. the stereo and even on the leafs of my indoor plants.. My work diary was on my desk in our office and it was open on the date.. the 9th April 1999 and the whole page had big blood drops all over it.. Wayne must of ran in to the office to try to call for help... the batten they had beaten him with was in the kitchen... they got him while he was in the corner of the kitchen... and when he raised his arm to protect his head... they smashed the bones in his forearm and hand... there was bloody boot prints all over the carpet... smudges of blood and drag marks on the walls... the couch was RED... you couldnt even see what colour it really was... one side was soaked in his blood... there was blood all over the driveway as well.. Wayne later told me that at one point he ran outside to get away from them. but must of blacked out... and was taken back inside... the whole time.. i could hear all of them keep saying to Wayne... "Where is the money", show us where the money is" I thought, we dont have alot of money... otherwise Wayne wouldnt be copping this beating if we did have money... all really strange... My heart was racing.. I was so shaken up that i couldnt think straight... All i remember after that was being at the Police station giving them my statement... If i had to go to the toilet or even have a smoke, i had to be escorted everywhere... that was freaking me out...They were by my side no matter what... I was exhausted and just wanted to go home... the officer that was doing my statement kept asking me a thousand questions.. then suddenly the money in the backyard came up... he said to me did i know where it came from... and i said No... he then started to type that I did know where it came from and started typing up all this rubbish that i never said.. I was started to get all anxious... my mum was called me on the police line while i was there and told me that the kids were interviewed without an adult present and that freaked me out... suddenly i felt like i wasnt the victim anymore and got up and said i want to leave... he was pushing me to sign the statement and i said no way am i signing that... But I couldnt get out of the Police Station.. I went to every door, it was locked... I went into the lift and onto different floors to try to get out... no one helped me, they just watched me freaking out, demanding I be let out of there... I was really really freaking out by this stage... eventually they got some priest guy to approach me and he said he would drive me back to my mothers house... by this stage I trusted no body.. Not even him... preist and all.... I didnt even want him to drive me to Mums cause then he would know where she lived... I got back to Mums at about 4.30am... exhausted... And I had no clue what was going on with Wayne either...