A drug addicted crook has admitted wrestling with the husband of Aussie actor Asher Keddie while trying to steal his motorbike.
James Powell, 44, has already spent 234 days behind bars on remand awaiting his hearing over the shocking incident.
He pleaded guilty on Tuesday in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court to a swag of dishonesty offences, including his raid on the Keddie property just days after Christmas last year.
Appearing in court via videolink from prison, the court heard Powell was spotted by Keddie as he removed her husband Vincent Fantauzzo’s Ducati.
Her screams caused Mr Fantauzzo, 48, to spring into action, sparking a scuffle outside the front of their house.
The court heard Powell hit Mr Fantauzzo in the head as he tried to break free.
A passer-by helped Mr Fantauzzo subdue the drug-addled thief, who then lapsed into unconsciousness from a suspected drug overdose.
Powell was taken by ambulance to The Alfred hospital before being charged over the home invasion.
Asher Keddie (pictured) survived a harrowing burglary after an intruder broke into the Melbourne home she shares with husband Vincent Fantauzzo and their two children
Neither Keddie or Mr Fantauzzo were in court to watch the intruder face justice, nor was a victim impact statement read to the court on their behalf.
Powell also pleaded guilty to attacking his former partner, whom he attempted to force into the boot of his car during a domestic incident.
‘We’ve got a kid together,’ she was heard pleading as Powell insisted she get into the boot.
He refused to co-operate with police after his arrest.
Powell also admitted to stealing bike accessories from another inner-city apartment complex during an earlier raid in September.
The court heard Powell had a lengthy criminal history and had already been serving a community corrections order when he committed his latest crimes.
It is not Powell’s first time behind bars, with the court hearing he had spent numerous stints in jail over the years.
The Offspring star’s husband (pictured) leapt into action and heroically tackled a man who attempted to steal a motorbike from the couple’s St Kilda home on December 28
He made no application for bail and is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
The robbery at the Keddie home made national headlines at the time.
Keddie met her husband in 2012 when Mr Fantauzzo asked to paint a portrait of her and they wed in a beachside ceremony on Fiji’s Turtle Island in April 2014.
The couple share Valentino, nine, and Mr Fantauzzo’s 14-year-old son, Luca, from a previous marriage.
Speaking to Marie Claire in 2023, Keddie recalled the first meeting with her eventual husband.
She explained that while he was painting her, Mr Fantauzzo would look over and they locked eyes.
‘He still does that…he’s very charming,’ she said.
Keddie added the couple love parenting their children together as it gives them ‘the feeling of togetherness’.
It was reported Asher Keddie, 50, saw the would-be thief wheeling a Ducati away from their property at 7am in the morning. She quickly alerted her husband, 48, who raced out to stop the brazen burglar before a fight broke out between the two
‘What we enjoy most – and I know we both feel like this – is sharing the parenting. I love that feeling of togetherness we have in parenting them and being part of their lives,’ she added.
She also shared a glimpse into the couple’s home life with their children.
‘I take care of stuff when I come home… but we have different roles within the house and as long as the kids come first, everything falls into place,’ she added.
Mr Fantauzzo’s famous works include striking portraits of Julia Gillard, Baz Luhrmann and Heath Ledger, with his work highlighting the depth of Ledger’s mental struggle was revealed one month after his death in 2008.
The four-time Archibald People’s Choice prize winning artist has a hotel in Brisbane named after him, which is filled with his paintings.
Asher, meanwhile, is a multiple Logie-winning actress, nabbing a Gold Logie in 2013 for her breakout role as Dr Nina Proudman in Offspring.
She was also awarded a Most Popular Actress Logie five times in a row from 2011 to 2015.
Most recently Asker was nominated or a Gold Logie in 2024 for her portrayal of Evelyn Jones in the BINGE series Strife.
Speaking to Stellar ahead of last year’s event, Asher admitted her second Gold Logie nomination felt ‘more special’.
‘It actually feels more special now, to be honest,’ she said.
‘I was really taken aback when I got the call a few weeks back. I was like, ‘What does this mean?’ It’s extraordinary and I feel so excited.’
Keddie was beaten to the top gong by Channel Seven star Larry Emdur.
Source link
