Bunbury man Robert Peter Powell jailed for seven years after brutal machete attack on ex-partner and her son

A rage-fuelled, “drug-induced psychosis” that culminated in a 39-year-old Bunbury man’s brutal machete attack on his former partner and her adult son has resulted in jail time. Robert Peter Powell appeared in the Bunbury District Court on Tuesday and was sentenced to a seven-year jail term after pleading guilty to committing grievous bodily harm with intent, aggravated unlawful assault occasioning bodily harm, two counts of assaulting a public officer, obstructing public officers and breaching a family violence restraining order. The court was told Powell and his ex-partner’s adult son had been exchanging text messages just after midnight on November 25, 2020, when an argument broke out, leading to Powell sending a message threatening to “cut your head off” as well as a photo of a machete. Powell later travelled by taxi to the 30-year-old’s caravan that was on a property in Carey Park and shouted “I’m going to kill you”. When the victim emerged from the caravan, Powell struck him three times with the machete he had previously sent a photo of before chasing the victim to the backyard and striking him twice to the back. After the victim fell, Powell stood over him and continued striking the victim towards his face. Powell’s ex-partner attempted to intervene but was initially shoved away and struck in the arm with the machete before her son escaped and sought help from his grandparents. The man was taken to hospital with lacerations to his forearms and his right thumb as well as several cuts to his face and back. In the meantime, Powell ended up assaulting his ex-partner after she followed him on to the street, dragging her to the ground and punching her in the head several times until she was unconscious. The woman suffered a broken nose and a broken finger as well as abrasions and lacerations. When two police officers, a male and a female, arrived on the scene, they performed a welfare check on the female victim, who they first saw laying motionless on the road, before attempting to arrest Powell, who was still in an agitated state. Powell violently resisted arrest, punching the male officer in the face and kicking the female officer in the jaw while he was on the ground. He was finally subdued after a taser was used twice.. The court was also told Powell had been served with a family violence restraining order protecting his ex-partner three weeks before the incident, although there was mutual contact via text message between the two in the lead-up. As State prosecutor Craig Astill read the details of the incident to the court, Powell could be heard muttering the word “bulls...”, sparking initial concerns from District Court Judge Mara Barone that Powell did not accept the charges. However, those concerns were alleviated after a brief adjournment. In submissions, Powell’s defence counsel Michael Joubert told the court Powell admitted he had been drinking and using methamphetamine in the lead-up to the incident, leading to a “drug-induced psychosis”. The court was also told Powell had ceased taking anti-depressant medication several weeks before the incident and he admitted he had a serious issue with his temper. Despite a psychiatric report finding no evidence of a major psychotic or mood disorder, Powell told the reporting psychiatrist he was “receiving messages from butterflies” before offending. In a victim impact statement that was submitted to the court, the 30-year-old male victim recalled feeling helpless that he could not protect his mother after he was taken to hospital and had since developed a fear of knives because of the attack. Despite conceding there were “provocative” messages sent by the male victim and there was contact between Powell and his ex-partner in spite of the restraining order, Mr Astill submitted Powell should be sentenced to an immediate term of imprisonment and that there was an element of pre-meditation in his offending behaviour. During those submissions, Powell stood up in the dock, telling the court Mr Astill “is full of s...” and claimed the prosecutor would impose a 20-year jail term. However, Judge Barone explained Mr Astill was fulfilling his role as prosecutor and that she would determine the sentence. In sentencing, Judge Barone noted body-worn camera footage taken by the two arresting officers, telling the court Powell was “dripping of aggression and anger” on the night of the incident. “Anger was just oozing out of every part of you,” she said. “There is no doubt this was an absolutely terrifying event for the victims.” Judge Barone also took the view the incident occurred in the midst of a “troubled domestic relationship” and it was a “sustained attack while armed with a dangerous weapon”. Powell’s sentence was backdated to the day of the incident and will be eligible for parole in November 2025.