Broome man Evander Terence Norman Mitchelson jailed for detaining and suffocating partner over “holiday fling”

A 20-year-old Broome man has been jailed for unlawfully detaining and suffocating his now former partner in two altercations after confessing she had been intimate with another man. Evander Terence Norman Mitchelson was sentenced in the Broome District Court to two years and six months in prison on Tuesday for the two detainments and assaults against his partner at the time, which stemmed from jealousy. The court was told Mitchelson visited the woman at her home in Cable Beach at 10am on January 12 and became verbally abusive towards her when she told him she had a “holiday fling” with another man in Fiji. It is understood the woman had previously filed a violence restraining order against him which was in effect at the time of offending. Mitchelson locked the front door, which was the only entrance to the property, and refused to leave when she asked him to. Mitchelson pushed the woman multiple times throughout the property and placed his hand over her mouth with such force that she struggled to breathe. During the altercation, Mitchelson punched a hole into a bedroom wall and left the property when the woman convinced him she still loved him and would not call the police. Later that night, Mitchelson visited the woman a second time and asked for water, pushing past her into the property when she retrieved water for him. Mitchelson put his hand over her mouth once again and told her to “shut the f*** up”, causing the woman to struggle breathing and she eventually vomited as a result. Mitchelson would leave her and the property again when she convinced him she would not call the police. In submissions, Mitchelson’s lawyer Helen Prince told the court Mitchelson had been struggling with cannabis and methamphetamine misuse, which had been exacerbated by the anniversary of his sister’s death. In sentencing, District Court Chief Judge Julie Wager told Mitchelson his offending was “one of the horrible impacts of drug misuse”. “This sort of conduct just isn’t accepted in the community and jealously is never an excuse to put someone through that trauma,” she said. “Women need to be able to feel safe in their own homes, especially when they’re in the company of their partner.” Mitchelson’s sentence was backdated to January 15 and he will be eligible for parole in April 2021.