Kerry Ann Oats claims all she wanted to do was return a ring back to its rightful owner.
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Hours later, a group of four conducted a “run-through” of her Wodonga home, one carrying a large knife, in search of a bracelet they felt she had kept for herself.
The messy circumstances between friends-turned-enemies were heard in an aggravated burglary case at Wodonga Court.
Robert Darke, 43, Ivan Edwards, 38, Renae Lautenbacher, 36, and Jessica Webster, 29 appeared in court to face a committal hearing.
Darke had been in custody since his arrest.
Ms Oats told the court a friend had approached her about selling a gold ring with a green stone, but she quickly found out it had belonged to a friend of Edwards.
She took the ring out of her friend’s bag to return.
“I’ve had some of my personal belongings and jewellery stolen in the past and I thought it was the right thing to do,” Ms Oats said.
But she did not return the bracelet which was also in the box.
After a series of abusive message between Edwards and Ms Oats on Facebook, she said she would return the bracelet at a later date.
Before that could happen, four people allegedly entered her Wodonga home on January 10, including Darke with the large knife.
Ms Oats said she had been too scared to go home because of alleged threats from Edwards, but her friend was there at the time.
“One of them had held a machete to him and threatened him and took his money,” she said.
“It was a very distressing night.”
Darke’s barrister Diana Price suggested Ms Oats had been selling drugs and originally did not want police to enter her home to investigate.
The case continues.