Before Gerard Mazza and Matilda Lane-Rose were arrested protesting Woodside they were teacher and student

Just a few years before climate activists Gerard Mazza and Matilda Lane-Rose found themselves in the back of a police paddy wagon over an alleged plan to lock themselves to the family home of one of Australia’s leading business leaders, they were walking the same halls at one of the most prestigious schools in Perth.

One as a teacher, the other a student.

An investigation by The West Australian has uncovered Ms Lane-Rose, 19, began dabbling in environmental extremism from a young age, skipping class to take part in a global climate change strike as a young student at Perth Modern School in 2019 and 2020.

In a fascinating twist of fate, Mr Mazza was also teaching English at the academically selective high school over the same two years.

Mr Mazza was also Perth Modern’s “sustainability co-ordinator”, a job where he encouraged students to adopt the “perspective of a plant or animal” and write poems about trees in a local park. His LinkedIn lists him as leaving the school in December 2020, after just two years of employment.

Four years later, the alumnis’ common climate crusade has landed them both in hot water — one in a jail cell for the night — after they allegedly descended on the family home of Woodside Energy boss Meg O’Neill on Tuesday.

Shocking revelations about exactly what Mr Mazza, Ms Lane-Rose and their co-accused, Jesse Noakes and Emil Davey — all notorious activists with the Disrupt Burrup Hub campaign — allegedly planned to do were exposed in court on Wednesday.

Perth Magistrates Court was told the members had stalked Ms O’Neill’s house in the days leading up to their arrest at her City Beach home early on Tuesday morning.

When they turned up to the house, it was alleged the group had planned to throw paint at the property — which Ms O’Neill, shares with her partner and daughter — before padlocking themselves to its exterior to stop the chief executive from leaving.

It was claimed the group had congregated at Ms O’Neill’s property about 6.50am, while she was getting ready to go to work. Police prosecutors told the court the group of four had met the night prior to “plan and execute the alleged offence”.

“It was a pre-organised thing,” the prosecutor said.

The court was told CCTV showed Mr Davey and Mr Noakes in the vicinity of Ms O’Neill’s home on July 29 — three days prior — allegedly “conducting surveillance” so they could find out what time she left for the office. CCTV also allegedly captured Mr Davey standing at the rear fence of Ms O’Neill’s home the night before the incident.

“The impact to Ms O’Neill and her family cannot be overstated,” the police prosecutor said, adding it had caused fear, distress and feelings of intimidation.

Mr Noakes’ and Mr Mazza’s defence lawyer Alexander Smith told the court there was nothing to prove the spray paint found in the group’s possession would have been used on Ms O’Neill’s home.

Magistrate Sandra De Maio said there was enough evidence to infer the group had “intended to damage Ms O’Neill’s property”.