TWO men potentially face 25 years in jail after being charged with the new offence of home invasion after an incident in the Terang district.
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Donald Chatfield, 32, of Framlingham, and Jamie Chatfield, 43, of Grovedale, appeared in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court on Wednesday and were remanded in custody until June 16.
They were charged with home invasion, aggravated burglary and armed robbery.
Police allege an incident early Sunday morning was captured on security camera footage when the Chatfield went to a farm house in the Terang district to collect a $300 debt.
The new charge of home invasion, which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years, was recently introduced in response to the statewide trend of armed offenders entering homes - inspired by the Apex Gang in Melbourne.
That trend has sparked police comment in the south- west where police statistics show a steep rise in such crime during the past couple of years.
The pair are the first men in the south-west to be charged with the new offence.
Police allege they went to a farmhouse at 6.30am on Sunday and dogs woke a man who was at home with his partner and their young daughter.
Donald Chatfield is alleged to have been armed with an axe. The men demanded $300 and the male resident is then alleged to have suffered an axe wound to the neck before they took a wallet containing keys, personal papers, bank cards and a sensor camera valued at $500.
It's alleged the resident was continually punched to the head and chest while his partner and the child hid under a bed.
The intruders then threatened to cut the man's toes off and bury him in the Framlingham forest.
The brutal assault continued in front of the woman and the child who have been left terrified.
Donlad Chatfield was already on strict bail conditions after being charged with putting a sawn-off double barrel shotgun to a man's head and making threats.
He was arrested in October last year by special operations group police and found with a range of firearms, edged weapons, ammunition, ice, three mobile phones and a vial of steroids.