AN award-winning chef who took part in a terrifying home invasion during which his own cousin was bashed and struck to the head with a baseball bat before cash and an assortment of household items were stolen has been jailed.

The County Court sitting at Mildura heard 37-year-old Paul Smith was one of four men who burst into the Mildura home of his cousin in July 2022 with the intention of stealing from the victim over