Peter Papadellis: 25-year-old man accused over fatal assault on Mark Beaver in Geraldton granted bail

The 25-year-old man accused over the fatal assault on well-known Geraldton business owner Mark Beaver has been granted bail and is likely to fight the allegation at trial, a court has been told. Queensland man Peter Papadellis, charged with unlawful assault causing death, appeared in Geraldton Magistrates Court via video link from Greenough Regional Prison on Thursday for a bail application. Police prosecutor Acting Sgt Thomas Potts told the court that Mr Papadellis and Mr Beaver, 65, were not known to each other, but that the accused man had gone to the alleged victim’s autowrecking business on Box Street in Webberton on December 1 last year asking about a Toyota HiLux. The court was told Mr Papadellis had previously purchased parts from another worker at the same business, who was on leave at this time. Sgt Potts said the conversation became heated and Mr Beaver asked Mr Papadellis to leave, walking the “agitated” customer to the gates. It is then that Mr Papadellis allegedly punched Mr Beaver to the left side of his head, causing the pair to grapple and fall to the ground. They got up and walked away, with Mr Beaver closing the gate and Mr Papadellis leaving the scene. Sgt Potts said Mr Beaver sustained bruising, swelling and abrasions to his face and arms, and told family and friends about the incident but declined to report it to police or seek medical attention. On the night of December 4, Mr Beaver complained of a severe headache and asked his wife to call an ambulance before collapsing. An unresponsive Mr Beaver was rushed to Geraldton Health Campus and scans revealed a significant and acute subdural hematoma on the left side of his brain. His life support was switched off the following morning. Mr Papadellis was arrested and interviewed by police, with Sgt Potts saying he admitted to attending the business and that a physical altercation took place, but claimed he acted in self defence. Mr Papadellis’ lawyer Damien Cripps told the court his client disputed the alleged facts, claiming Mr Beaver swung at him. Mr Cripps understood the confrontation was not captured on CCTV camera. He argued the prosecution case against Mr Papadellis was “not extremely strong” and that his client had the support of his wife and mother, who had travelled from Queensland to support her son in Geraldton and was willing to put the family home on the line for his bail. Both women were in the back of the courtroom to support him. Mr Papadellis was travelling around Australia with his wife, doing odd jobs. Police opposed bail, arguing Mr Papadellis was a flight risk due to his transient lifestyle and a suspect in two “unprovoked assault matters” in Perth and Geraldton over the past few months. No charges have been laid over those reports still under investigation. Sgt Potts said those matters involved a man who exited his vehicle and assaulted a woman who confronted him for abusing and intimidating another woman with two young children in a Perth carpark. The other reported incident involved a man spitting at a male manager at a Geraldton service station after he became abusive towards a female worker. Sgt Potts said the homicide squad stated that Mr Papadellis had shown a propensity for unprovoked violence against strangers as well as an “anti-establishment ideology and sovereign citizen-like tendencies”. The court was told Mr Papadellis had a mainly traffic-related NSW record, and was subject to an outstanding arrest warrant in Queensland over a criminal damage matter. His lawyer claimed he was not aware of the warrant until his arrest over this matter. Magistrate Matthew Walton said if the allegation was proven it was a “brutal and cowardly attack” against an older man in a “moment of frustration over something as trivial as car parts”. He said Mr Papadellis would likely be pleading not guilty and took into account the delay of up to 2½ years he could face before standing trial in the District Court. The magistrate granted Mr Papadellis bail under strict conditions, including a $100,000 personal undertaking, $200,000 surety, reporting to Geraldton police station three times a week, a night-time curfew at the holiday park he would be residing at with his wife and mother, a ban on illicit drugs, submitting to urine analysis when required, not leaving WA, surrendering his passport and staying at least 100m away from the alleged crime scene where Mr Beaver both worked and lived. Mr Papadellis’ case was adjourned until February 5 for legal advice.