Men jailed for attack on relative

Two East Kimberley men have been jailed for violently attacking a younger relative in a hotel lobby in broad daylight and leaving him fighting for his life. Harrison John Campbell, 33, and Jeffery Lance Evans, 29, were sentenced in the Broome District Court on August 28 for committing grievous bodily harm in December last year. The court heard Evans was at the corner of Mercure Hotel on Louis Street at 2.42pm on December 7, where he intended to walk to a nearby park to play cards with family and friends. Evans saw the victim run into the hotel and chased him inside as he wanted to confront him, believing the man had broken into his home earlier that day and stolen food. Campbell entered and assisted Evans in pulling the victim back over the front reception counter and threw him on to the floor, stomping on the victim’s stomach before Evans picked up dragged the victim outside. Evans’ nine-year-old son saw the victim try to hold on to the sliding door while Campbell kicked the victim’s arm and Evans pulled him outside and threw the victim into some bushes and stomped on him. The child returned with a woman, Evans’ partner, and the pair tried to help the victim and push Evans and Campbell away. Evans briefly walked away but returned and stomped on the victim again before both he and Campbell dragged the victim on to concrete, where Evans stomped on the victim’s head before his partner pushed him away again. Evans stomped on the victim one last time and Campbell threw the victim back into the bushes before the hotel manager arrived and emergency services were called. The victim had to be transferred to Royal Perth Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service when it was found he was suffering from a life-threatening transected pancreas as a result of the blunt-force trauma. Campbell’s lawyer Andrew Tehan told the court Campbell had been on an alcohol and methamphetamine-fuelled binge for three days at the time of offending, sparked by the breakdown of his relationship of 21/2 years. Evans’ counsel Linda Salsano told the court Evans, who was also under the influence of alcohol, marijuana and methamphetamine at the time, was angry about a break-in at his home the night before. Ms Salsano submitted the assault was not pre-meditated and was spurred by his anger from the night before when he saw the victim. Chief District Court Judge Julie Wager jailed Evans for three years and Campbell for 21/2 years.