In the dead of night, a teenager held a machete to an elderly woman’s throat and demanded she say disparaging things about her son, Melbourne media personality Ryan Naumenko. The 17-year-old, a Year 12 student from Springvale, was allegedly one of three people who drove to Mildura, in far north Victoria, in October last year where they are accused of an aggravated home invasion that turned extremely violent.
At 12.33am on October 29, the trio arrived in a stolen car, smashed through a rear sliding door and confronted Mr Naumenko’s elderly mother, who was 70 at the time. Documents from the Court of Appeal, which this week overturned a bail ruling and set the teen free, allege that one of the teens pinned the victim against the wall by her throat while demands were made for the woman to use an expletive to disparage her son. After she refused, she was allegedly punched three or four times to the head, the Court of Appeal judges wrote in their decision this week. Another offender then approached her and held a machete to her throat. She asked them not to hurt her.
Naumenko was staying at the home at the time and woke up when he heard the noise. He disturbed the offenders who, upon seeing him, left the house, got into the stolen vehicle and fled the area. The appellant was not arrested with respect to this alleged offending until February 17, 2026. On that day, he was charged with aggravated home invasion, the judges wrote. Shortly after the alleged attack, Naumenko told media: “They were telling my elderly mother, who is recovering from major cancer surgery, to say ‘Ryan’s a dog’.
The teen was remanded but appealed that decision. Three Court of Appeal judges found the judge that denied the teen bail made a material error. In exercising our own discretion we have decided that bail must be granted, they wrote. Accordingly the appeal will be allowed and bail will be granted subject to strict conditions. Those conditions include that he will return to court in two weeks so the court may be updated on any issues the appellant may be experiencing upon returning to the community following more than three months in detention.
CCTV footage of the October home invasion shows three teens creeping around Ms Naumenko’s Mildura property. One is seen brandishing a machete. Naumenko, who is the founder of Melbourne’s Outlaw Media and a commentator on organised crime, wrote on social media this week: “The [expletive] 17-year-old who put a machete to my elderly mother’s throat — over a story I wrote — was just bailed in the Supreme Court of Victoria.” Speaking to news.com.au, he said he was floored by the decision. “The decision has literally floored me,” Naumenko said. “I blame the Labor government, not the police, nor the judges. Legislation is the issue.
The three alleged offenders were caught on CCTV fleeing the property. “We need now, more than ever, to have legislation passed that allows home owners to use whatever force is necessary to prevent home invasions occurring. This has not only affected mental health, but my entire family’s mental health. My children have refused to spend time with my mother because of safety fears, and my mother had to relocate at great cost, uproot her life set for retirement.”
The Court of Appeal cited a report from Parkville and Cherry Creek youth justice precincts where the teen had been remanded. “There have been no reported incidents involving the [teen]. Custodial staff report that the [teen] remains quiet and keeps to himself,” the judges wrote. The report noted that the teen remains enrolled in Year 12 at a secondary school in Melbourne and is motivated to return to school. “The college has provided schoolwork to the appellant while in custody. Both the Year 12 co-ordinator and the assistant principal have stated that they will support the appellant’s transition back into schooling if bail were granted,” the report stated.
