Not finding the amusement in his lover’s brazen humour at a local pub, a man named Trevor Oldham chose to express his disapproval through an armed confrontation at her dwelling.
Mr. Oldham, aged 59, attempted a break-in into her home through a peculiar point of entry – her cat door. He tried to unlock the house from the inside but was intercepted by the woman herself, who promptly asked him to vacate her premises.
Most of the unsettling events of that December 15, 2022 night were recorded by the woman’s security system. Nevertheless, Mr. Oldham, failing to successfully plead his innocence in a trial held at the Hamilton District Court, was found guilty of both burglary and threatening to do grievous bodily harm by presiding Judge Brett Crowley .
The sentencing, which took place yesterday, revealed the frightful nature of the experience for the woman, echoed by Mr. Oldham’s lawyer’s admission that his client had personal “issues to confront.” The relationship between Mr. Oldham and the woman, although short-lived, had predated the unfortunate incident.
Upon hearing about his ex-lover’s bold joke at the pub, Mr. Oldham felt compelled to visit her rural home in Morrinsville late at night, equipped with a flashlight and a knife. As he ambled onto her back porch, he endeavoured to force his entry through the cat door.
Despite her demands for him to depart, Mr. Oldham, brandishing the knife and shouting threats, insisted on entering the house. His persistence was met with the woman’s steady refusal, even as he demonstrated his resolve to penetrate the house’s front door for over seven minutes. His determined attempts ceased upon her threat to call the police.
Jared Bell, the defence counsel, underlined the latent menace of Mr. Oldham’s knife-clad presence in the dead of night as the most distinctive element of his offence. Bell was, however, quick to mention that his client admittedly had personal issues to confront.
Paige Noorland, the Crown prosecutor, underscored the lack of remorse and insight into his offences, despite Mr. Oldham’s attempt to redirect blame towards the woman for his brother’s death. The woman had once been in a relationship with his brother. Previous convictions for death-related threats and violation of a protection order were also noted as reflections of Mr. Oldham’s incompetency in managing relationship hardships.
Mr. Oldham had defended that his threats, caught on CCTV, bore no true intent. But the fear and discomfort he spawned were laid bare on reviewing the recorded footage. Judge Crowley deemed his attribution of his brother’s death to the woman as misguided and reckless.
Judge Crowley granted a protection order to the woman as a safeguard against Mr. Oldham, who was subsequently sentenced to 21 months imprisonment.
