Jail for machete attacker

A 53-year-old Rangeway man has been jailed for two and a half years after pleading guilty in the District Court in Geraldton to swinging a machete at the head of a former housemate, who he claims threw a petrol bomb into his backyard.

James Andrew Sanderson said he was drunk and scared on the afternoon of October 16 when he decided to go to the victim’s house and confront him with a machete he had bought earlier that day.

The victim was sitting on his back patio with friends when Sanderson entered the backyard and hit him in the head with the weapon, which resulted in a gash in his scalp that was so deep it nearly exposed his skull.

Sanderson continued to swing after the initial blow, leaving the victim with further defence wounds to his fingers and wrist, before his friends were able to wrest the machete away.

The attack came after the victim had earlier bragged about throwing an unlit petrol bomb into the backyard of Sanderson’s home on the night of October 14, which Sanderson claimed made him fear for his life.

Sanderson informed police about the petrol bomb attack the next day but was not satisfied with their lack of a response and decided to take matters into his own hands.

The motivation behind throwing the bomb is believed to be that Sanderson had developed a relationship with the victim’s former girlfriend, after she had left him following numerous alleged incidences of domestic violence — which Sanderson claimed to have witnessed.

Sanderson interrupted Judge Julie Wager several times during sentencing to try and justify his actions, which prompted her to animatedly respond by slamming her fist on the bench and threatening to have him stood down.

“There is never a time you can take the law into your own hands,” she said.

“There is never a time you can swing a machete at someone’s head.”

In sentencing Sanderson, Ms Wager took into account both his ill health — his life expectancy is measured in months, not years — and the fact she believed he was a medium risk for re-offending.

“This offence is so serious people need to know if they commit a crime like this they will go to prison,” she said.

“Victims also need to know they will be protected if they are subjected to such vicious attacks.”

Sanderson pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

He is eligible for parole.