Jake Peters: Boyfriend of missing mum Angie Fuller jailed for knife attack on toddler, woman in carjackings

The last person to see missing Northern Territory mum Angie Fuller alive has been sentenced to five years in jail over a ‘frenzied’ knife attack on strangers — including a toddler – during a couple of botched carjackings in Queensland.

Jake Jefferson Peters will be eligible for parole in just a few months after pleading guilty to serious offences, which he committed soon after his then-girlfriend vanished into the central Australian desert outside of Alice Springs in the early hours of January 10, 2023.

Following Ms Fuller’s disappearance, Peters fled to Queensland, where he had several interactions with police before his arrest on April 1, 2023.

The 27-year-old was this week convicted of attempted armed burglary, deprivation of liberty, two counts of unlawfully entering a vehicle with intent to commit an indictable offence while armed, three counts of assault occasionally bodily harm while armed and entering premises and stealing.

He also pleaded guilty to obstructing police, possessing a knife in a public place, fare evasion, possessing dangerous drugs and failing to properly dispose of a needle and syringe.

The most serious charges relate to attempted carjackings at Ipswich, south of Brisbane, on April 1 last year.

Crown prosecutor Lauren Knobel told the Ipswich District Court that on that Saturday morning, 41-year-old Elaine Rose was ordering a coffee at the Booval Zarraffa’s drive-through when Peters jumped into her front passenger seat.

Peters told Ms Rose to “give me your f... king keys and get out the car” and then produced a knife.

Ms Rose immediately got out of the car and ran towards the Coles Express service station next door.

As she ran towards the petrol bowsers, Peters crash-tackled her to the ground from behind.

“The defendant stood behind the complainant, held her by her hair in one hand whilst he held the knife to her face and throat,” Ms Knobel said.

“The complainant screamed out for help. During this the defendant was screaming at Rose to give him her keys.”

Bystander Alex Tripp-Hitte, who had just strapped his two-year-old daughter into the backseat of his ute, tried to intervene.

Mr Tripp-Hitte told Peters to let go of Mr Rose and leave because the “cops are coming”.

Peters turned on him and said “you give me your keys” but Mr Tripp-Hitte refused.

“The defendant let go of Rose, ran towards Tripp-Hitte and punched him in the face under his right eye,” Ms Knobel said.

“The defendant approached Tripp-Hitte’s ute and opened the rear right door, grabbing his toddler and holding the knife against her face.

“Tripp-Hitte and a nearby male … rushed the defendant and Tripp-Hitte managed to wrestle (his daughter) from the defendant’s grip after a brief struggle.”

Peters then ran inside Zarraffa’s where Ms Rose and three Zarraffa’s employees had locked themselves in the bathroom.

Peters, still holding the knife, banged his fists on the bathroom door and yelled ‘let me in, let me in’.

When police arrived, Peters – who was still inside the cafe with the knife – escaped through a cafe window before being arrested.

He was taken to the Richlands watchhouse but could not be interviewed due to his level of intoxication. Police found a crystal substance, believed to be methamphetamine, in his pocket and a syringe he had left in Ms Rose’s car.

Ms Rose sustained extensive injuries including lacerations, abrasions, bruising and tenderness.

Mr Tripp-Hitte sustained lacerations and abrasions while his two-year-old daughter suffered multiple lacerations.

Ms Knobel said their injuries could have been much worse.

“A knife, while less serious than a firearm, is always loaded and the risk to the complainants was clear,” she said.

“He brandished a weapon beyond just arming himself and held the knife throughout the entirety of the offending.

Ms Knobel said the toddler’s experience would have been “traumatising”.

“The footage shows her being thrown around in the struggle to the point that her nappy was removed,” she said.

The prosecutor said Peters’ “inexplicable and bizarre” offending had a “significant detrimental impact” on his victims.

Peters’ defence lawyer said his client had experienced a troubled childhood, was addicted to methamphetamine and had suffered trauma which “has caused him bouts of anger throughout his life”.

A clinical psychologist said in addition to Peters’ substance abuse, his presentation was consistent with a diagnosis of severe post-traumatic stress from trauma experienced both inside and outside of prison.

The lawyer said his client, who has lengthy criminal histories in Queensland and the NT, had prospects of rehabilitation.

“A head of sentence in the order of five years is appropriate given his criminal history,” his lawyer said.

“You’ll see that when he was sentenced to 18 months back in December of 2020 and placed on parole, he didn’t breach that.

“That seems to be a two-and-a-half year gap between that and this offending, so it does show some prospects of living a crime free life, if I can put it that way.”

Judge John Allen sentenced Peters to five years’ jail and recorded convictions for all offences.

“In a short space of frenzied, mindless violence, you’ve managed to cause significant damage to a number of innocent people,” he said.

“It was a protracted course of violence towards completely innocent people.

Judge Allen said he had taken a “lenient approach” given Peters’ young age, early guilty pleas and other mitigating factors.

“You had a disadvantaged upbringing and that, no doubt, fed into your substance abuse and subsequent offending,” he said.

“It seems that you have suffered mental health issues entwined with that.

“You’re still a young man, so considerations of rehabilitation remain important.”

Peters, who has already spent 514 days in custody, will be eligible for parole on December 1.

Meanwhile, NT Police continue to investigate what happened to Ms Fuller, who vanished without a trace from a remote stretch of road in the dead of the night, and is presumed dead.

Detectives believe the woman – who has two daughters – was probably murdered in the 48 hours before Peters reported her missing.

Despite large-scale searches, the 30-year-old’s body has not been found.

If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, phone 1800 RESPECT or the Crisis Care Helpline on 1800 199 008.

Anyone with information about Angie Fuller’s disappearance is urged to contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 and quote #10228143