Teenager jailed for role in Kew home invasion that traumatised family

A teenager has been sentenced to two years and nine months in jail for his role in a violent home invasion in Kew that left a family traumatised and a father with permanent damage to his eyesight.

The incident occurred last August when five masked intruders, some armed with machetes, stormed the home of Kai Li and his family just before 4am. During the aggravated home invasion, Mr Li fought to protect his family, including two children, his wife, grandparents, and a nanny, as the intruders smashed a downstairs window with garden shears and assaulted several family members.

Mr Li was stabbed 11 times in the face and upper body, and his wife and grandparents were also assaulted. The intruders then allegedly stole the family car and fled the scene. The attack has had a lasting impact on the family, with Mr Li left with permanent damage to his eyesight and his family remaining traumatised.

“What happened to my family has changed our lives forever,” Mr Li said this afternoon. “I never imagined that something like this could happen in our own home.”

Mr Li said his case highlighted “weaknesses” in the legal system and called for stricter bail laws and tougher sentences for violent crime. “I hope both the government and the state government will introduce policies that genuinely improve community safety, so that families like mine do not have to experience this again,” he said.

In sentencing the 17-year-old attacker, Judge Jack Vandersteen described the home invasion as a “grave violation”. The judge had considered the police report, Mr Li’s victim impact statement, and footage of the incident captured on a baby monitor in the home. “The screams, the threats, are evident. The fear of the occupants was palpable,” he said. “A home should be a place of safety.”

The teenager, who had taken drugs and alcohol before the attack, said the incident remained “a bit of a blur”. He had written an apology letter, committed himself to reform while in youth detention, and had the support of his family and church community, the court heard.

Two others charged with breaking into Mr Li’s home remain before the courts, and police are continuing to hunt for two more people. Mr Li said he was grateful to the local police officers who handled his case and called for politicians to tackle the issue of repeat violent youth offenders.

“What families need is not symbolic measures, but policies that actually address the problem and give ordinary residents a greater sense of safety in their own communities,” he said.