Home

Man jailed after glass bottle attack on elder

Headshot of Tegan Guthrie
Tegan GuthrieKalgoorlie Miner
Kalgoorlie Courthouse.
Camera IconKalgoorlie Courthouse. Credit: Kelsey Reid

A man who was in a jealous rage when he hit a well-respected elder so hard with a glass bottle that it exposed bone on his cheek, just 10 days after attacking his partner with a big stick from a fire and choking her, has been jailed.

Alex Donegan, 44, was jailed for nine months in the Kalgoorlie Magistrate’s Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to unlawful wounding and breaching bail.

Donegan, who speaks little English, had an interpreter and assistance from his lawyer, Murray Stubbs, to translate the court proceedings.

The court was told Donegan was camping with family in bush by the Goldfields Highway on July 17 as they waited for the funeral of a relative.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

The court heard At 11am, after drinking all night and morning, Donegan was told by others at the camp that his 60-year-old uncle, a well-respected elder of the Tjuntjuntjarra community, and another man had touched his partner.

Mr Stubbs said this had been an ongoing issue between Donegan and his uncle, and that jealousy had become an issue in his relationship.

Donegan went over to where his uncle was sitting in front of his tent and an argument ensued.

He then struck his uncle in the leg with a glass bottle, which caused no injuries.

He then picked up a second bottle and swung it across the left side of his face, causing a 3cm laceration that exposed bone and required stitches.

Mr Stubbs told the court Donegan had received punishment from his community for attacking the elder.

The attack came just two days after he was released on a suspended imprisonment order for an attack on his partner one week earlier.

At 10.30pm on July 7 at Boulder Camp, Donegan had been drinking all day when he and his partner began yelling and screaming at each other.

Donegan grabbed a large stick from a fire and hit her in the back of the head with it, causing a 2cm by 3cm wound which required five stitches.

He then choked her and only stopped when someone else hit him in the back of the head and dragged him off her.

Mr Stubbs said Donegan had been with his partner for 11 years, and when they were in their dry community at Tjuntjuntjarra, they were hardly in trouble, but when they came to Kalgoorlie-Boulder and were around alcohol, problems would start.

Magistrate Genevieve Cleary said Donegan had taken his anger “too far” and retaliated beyond reason in his attack on the 60-year-old.

However, she said the wounding was not as serious as others that were often seen in the Magistrate’s Court and she “would not place it anywhere near the top for an unlawful wounding”.

She sentenced him to nine months imprisonment, backdated to April 2, meaning he will be eligible for parole in mid-August.

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails