Alleged elderly knife attacker makes court bid to return to Geraldton home

An elderly Geraldton man accused of slashing a woman’s face with a kitchen knife earlier this month has pleaded with a court to allow him to return to his home — just 20m from where his alleged victim lives. Charles William Cooper was given bail to live with his nephew on June 17, five days after he allegedly injured the woman at his home address. Police have alleged he had been drinking with two people for several hours before becoming enraged and hitting a woman twice with a broom handle before her partner intervened. Prosecutors have previously told the court the two people tried to calm him down before Mr Cooper picked up a 30cm kitchen knife and slashed the woman’s cheek. But lawyers acting for Mr Cooper have put forward an alternative explanation of the incident, saying the woman and her partner were trespassing in the 72-year-old’s home and he “defended” himself. “He accepts that he’s grabbed a knife and an intruder has been injured,” lawyer Georgia Keysers said previously. In court on Monday, defence lawyer Veronica Randall asked the magistrate to alter Mr Cooper’s bail to allow him to return home to the unit complex. “As you can see he’s quite frail and not a threat to anyone,” she said. “He’s in the later stage of his life and wants to return to where he feels comfortable.” But the court was told the 32-year-old woman he allegedly injured resided at the same complex, just 20m from his residence. “I have some sympathy for him but I’ve seen photos of the extremely serious allegations against him,” Magistrate Chris Miocevich said. “I’ve got to find a way to make sure this doesn’t happen again.” He said he was not prepared to alter bail without knowing more details about the complex and how the woman felt about having her alleged attacker 20m away. The matter will return to court tomorrow.