Robert John Mourish: Katanning man who publicly assaulted his 16-year-old girlfriend jailed

A 33-year-old Katanning man who physically assaulted his teenage girlfriend in front of her friends has been jailed. Robert John Mourish appeared in Katanning Magistrates Court via video link from Albany Regional Prison on February 17, charged with aggravated unlawful assault causing bodily harm and breaching a police order. The 33-year-old pleaded guilty to both charges during his appearance. On November 23, Mourish walked up to a parked car at 2.30am where his 16-year-old girlfriend was hanging out with her friends near her home. Mourish shone a torchlight into the victim’s face and opened the door where she was seated. When she asked him to go away, Mourish dragged her out of the car and across the ground by her collar before kicking her twice in the ribs, which caused pain and bruising, while yelling at her to “get up”. Shortly after the incident, police served Mourish an order to not touch or contact the victim. Later that day at 3pm, police attended the victim’s home to arrest Mourish. During the arrest, Mourish reached out to try and hug the victim, and told her “I love you”, breaching the police order he had been given that morning. His lawyer, Kyah Langdon, said her client’s offending was due to his daily methamphetamine use, homelessness, and breakdown of his previous long-term relationship with the mother of his two children. Ms Langdon said the week of the offending, Mourish had visited his ex-partner but had not been allowed to see his children, who had moved away with their mother. She said he acted violently against his teenage girlfriend because he was “lashing out” and “wasn’t thinking”, but upon reflection is ashamed and embarrassed. Ms Langdon said Mourish had worked to turn his life around while in custody since November 23, including ending the relationship with the victim and organising to live with his mother until his priority housing application is accepted. Because of this, Ms Langdon asked Magistrate Rosemarie Myers to not impose a “crushing sentence”. Police prosecutor Sgt Warrick Walker said that Mourish had been given several opportunities in the past and had a history of violent offences, and, considering the victim’s age, argued immediate imprisonment was appropriate. Ms Myers said she while she understood Mourish was frustrated, it was unfair to lash out on his 16-year-old partner, and dragging and kicking the victim in front of her friends not only caused physical harm, but was very degrading. She said his actions were “no display of affection at all”. Mourish was sentenced to eight months jail backdated to November 23 and was made eligible for parole. Ms Myers told Mourish she hoped he could get the support he needed when released back into the community.