Unmasked: The VERY glamorous younger mum of two arrested in a daybreak raid by cops over alleged gangland capturing

A young mother-of-two charged over her alleged role in a gangland shooting is a long-term employee of an organisation aimed at reducing youth incarceration rates.

Terleaha Williams, 20, was allegedly involved in the shooting up of a Mount Druitt home, in Sydney‘s west, during the early hours of May 9 this year.

The Frank Street property was allegedly peppered with 26 rounds of rifle fire at 1.15am –  just moments after an alleged bikie figure arrived to visit relatives. 

Seven adults and four young children were home at the time, but no one was injured. 

It was the second shooting incident at the property, following a previous event in 2021 when Moekiola was also present. 

Following a seven-month investigation, detectives executed a search warrant at a Mount Druitt property about 6am on Tuesday and arrested Williams.

She was charged with allegedly firing a firearm at a house in the course of an organised criminal activity, participating in a criminal group or contributing to criminal activity and possessing an unregistered firearm. 

Her two co-accused, Steve Mate, 30, and Christopher Leonard, 31, were arrested earlier this month.

Dressed in a white t-shirt and dark pants, Williams fidgeted in her seat as she appeared in court on Wednesday, gazing around the room, yawning, and playing with her hair. 

At one point she leaned forward in her chair, propping her elbows on the top of her knees then resting her chin in the palm of her hands. 

Applying for bail, her lawyer Cassandra Giudice told the court Williams was a mother of two children – aged four and two – who is mentally vulnerable due to a diagnosis of ADHD. 

She said Williams’ children are currently in the care of her mother, who recently had a stroke and has a heart monitor. 

Ms Giudice argued Williams’ alleged involvement was ‘minor’ and she is not accused of shooting or holding the gun.

Ms Giudice said the police case was strong based on phone calls and admissions, but there was a ‘sizeable hole’ concerning the absence of the weapons.

The court heard Williams has worked for five to six years as a data officer for Just Reinvest NSW – an organisation aimed at reducing Aboriginal people’s interactions with the criminal justice system. 

The court also heard she has a criminal history, including numerous warrants and breaches of bail, but had never served time in prison. 

Ms Giudice argued she should be granted conditional bail as it could take years for the matter to go to trial, ‘which will be disastrous for her employment and her children’. 

‘She is a vulnerable person, worth granting bail,’ Ms Giudice said. 

‘You can see her record does not assist her, but she can agree to a place restriction to not enter Frank Street [and] not contact her co-accused.’

The police prosecutor argued Williams should stay in custody as her release posed an unreasonable risk to the community and she might fail to appear in court. 

The prosecutor said the alleged offences were very serious and could result in a maximum of 16 years imprisonment.

‘I would disagree her involvement was minor,’ the prosecutor told the court.

‘She was involved in a joint criminal enterprise that resulted in 26 rounds of bullets being fired into a home, which contained several occupants, several of whom were children.’ 

The prosecutor further argued Williams was on a community corrections order in May for larceny, which showed ‘a complete disregard for orders that have been put on her’. 

Acting Magistrate Amanda Coultas-Roberts agreed with the prosecution, finding strict bail conditions would not be enough to reduce the risk to the community.

‘These are indeed very serious offences. The community must be protected from persons who take it upon themselves to commit firearm offences of this nature,’ Ms Coultas-Roberts said.

‘I accept she was not the shooter, but her role in the whole enterprise appeared to be significant, and she was in a supportive role within the enterprise. 

‘To that degree, it appears to me to be a strong prosecution case.’ 

Williams, a Kamilaroi and Yuin, is also a long-term Aboriginal youth ambassador for Just Reinvest NSW.

She was also a leader for the organisation’s Mounty Yarns project, a collection of stories presented in film that highlights the impact of the criminal justice system on young people.

In 2020, she co-authored an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald which rallied to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years old. 

Last year, she featured in a Dusseldorp Forum article about the ‘rise of young leaders in Mount Druitt’, having worked on youth projects in the community aimed at discussing and overcoming challenges young people in the area face. 

‘These are the people I’ve grown up with, we’ve been alongside each other. We are pretty much family if we’re not family,’ Williams said. 

Williams is next due to face Mount Druitt Local Court via videolink on February 25. 

Mate was arrested on December 1 and charged with allegedly knowingly direct activities of a criminal group, firing a firearm at a house in course of an organised criminal activity, and driving a motor vehicle on the road during a disqualification period.

He faced court the next day and was refused bail to appear at Penrith Local Court on January 23.

Leonard has been charged with allegedly firing a firearm at a house in course of an organised criminal activity and participating in a criminal group or contributing to criminal activity.

He did not apply for bail when he faced court on December 5, and is next due to appear in Penrith Local Court on January 30.