Busselton man Kierren Lee Parfitt jailed for unprovoked attack on stranger

A Busselton man who had a promising football career cut short by injury has been jailed for stabbing a stranger over an alleged stolen mobile phone. Kierren Lee Parfitt, 27, was sentenced to two years and eight months in Bunbury District Court on Monday after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm. The court was told Parfitt, pictured, and his brother were outside the Collie Ridge Motel in the early hours of August 1 last year with friends and family when they approached another man and his partner walking home from a party. Parfitt’s brother challenged the man, accusing him of stealing his mobile phone, only for a female accompanying them to tell him he got the wrong people. It was understood the victim was visiting Collie from Perth and did not know Parfitt or his brother. Although Parfitt’s brother walked away, Parfitt walked towards the victim and said “do you want to get stabbed?” and swung a knife towards him, causing a defensive wound to the victim’s left forearm. As the victim moved to prevent Parfitt from swinging the knife again, Parfitt reached over and stabbed him twice to the back of his left shoulder blade, causing the victim to fall to the ground as Parfitt left. The victim was first taken to Collie Hospital but was later transferred to Bunbury Hospital where he was treated for his stab wounds and a collapsed lung. Police later recovered a blue bandanna from the scene that contained DNA from both Parfitt and the victim, leading to Parfitt’s arrest in December in Busselton. In a police interview, Parfitt said he could not remember much about the incident but admitted he wore the bandanna that night and recalled asking his friend “what did I just do” immediately after leaving the scene. In submissions, Parfitt’s lawyer Seamus Rafferty told the court the offending behaviour was out of character for his client but conceded he was intoxicated on both alcohol and methamphetamine at the time. The court was also told Parfitt had a promising football career, playing at WAFL level, before a shoulder injury cut his prospective career short and it was understood he began abusing illicit substances at that time. State prosecutor Danielle Clarke described the incident as a “gratuitous act of violence”. District Court Judge Laurence Levy accepted Parfitt was “truly remorseful” for his actions. Parfitt will be eligible for parole in December 2022.