Bunbury man bashed and robbed girlfriend for drug money

A Bunbury man who bashed and robbed his girlfriend for drug money will serve his sentence in the community.

Jermaine Joseph Indich, 24, appeared in Bunbury Magistrates Court via video link from Bunbury Regional Prison and pleaded guilty to a string of charges including four counts of stealing, one count of unlawful assault, and a trespassing offence.

It also included one count of property damage, one count of possessing drug paraphernalia, and another of breaching bail stemming from separate incidents in March.

The court was told on March 11, about 1pm, Indich was travelling in a car in Carey Park with his girlfriend when a verbal argument erupted and he demanded that she lend him money.

His girlfriend pulled over before the argument turned physical in the car, with Indich striking the woman on the back of the head and bruising her arm.

He then took the woman’s purse and fled the vehicle, stealing $300 in cash from her wallet before dumping it.

He then trespassed in the back garden of a resident on Tipping Street and hid in a shed. In doing so, he tried to scale a Colorbond fence, causing $200 in damages in the process.

When he was arrested, Indich was found to be carrying a glass smoking implement with traces of meth on it.

He was released on bail after being questioned by police, but re-offended just 12 days later when he — along with an alleged co-accused —robbed two stores in Dalyellup for groceries and alcohol.

Police say the pair then stole more alcohol from Carey Park shop three days later, before Indich further breached bail by not attending court.

He has been in custody at Bunbury Regional Prison since March 30.

Indich’s lawyer told the court the man had been abusing drugs to deal with the trauma of losing his stepfather and robbed his then-girlfriend to fuel his addiction.

However, Magistrate Joanne Andretich did not accept that as a reasonable excuse.

“It does provide some reason, however, it doesn’t explain your years of previous offending and similar charges,” she told Indich.

“These charges are extremely serious. You were in the process of demanding money to fuel your drug habit and then you stole it.”

For the assault, he was handed a nine-nonth prison sentence, but it was suspended for 12 months. He was given a $3000 fine for the other charges.