A Dudley Park man, whose name has been withheld to protect his victim’s identity, has pleaded guilty in Mandurah Magistrates Court on Tuesday to three charges relating to an aggravated assault.
The charges included unlawful aggravated assault on the man’s partner, failure to appear in court and failure to comply with protective bail conditions.
The prosecution told the court the assault occurred on December 21, 2016, at a house in Dudley Park, when the man’s long-term partner, a 27-year-old woman, arrived at his residence at 12.30pm to collect property, during which an argument broke out between the two over credit card arrangements.
The victim was alleged to have wielded a 50 centimeter pipe wrench, standing over the accused, which he reacted to by dragging the victim by her hair into another room.
The man’s lawyer said the accused acknowledged his actions went beyond self-defence, and constituted assault.
The police were alerted to the incident by the couple’s children, ages 9 and 11, though the accused said the children had left to report the argument, and had not seen the assault.
He failed to appear in court over the matter on January 13, 2017.
On February 21, 2017 the man breached protective bail conditions preventing him from being in contact with the victim, by attending a Bassendean residence where he knew the victim would be.
The man’s lawyer said the accused had no history of similar behaviour, but that in the last year he and his partner’s meth use had led to the assault.
He was sentenced to a 12 month community based order with supervision and program requirements.
