Man bashed pair with fishing pole

A South Hedland man who beat two people with an aluminium fishing baton has been found guilty of assault occasioning bodily harm.

Robert Andrew Ware, 39, was accused of bashing Donald Perejuan and Jacqueline Berry at their Denman Place residence on April 20 this year.

The District court heard last week Mr Perejuan had received a text message prior to the incident warning him to watch his back after Ware accused the victim of having relations with his girlfriend.

In his opening address, State prosecutor Mark Blandford told the jury Ware had let himself in the back door of Ms Berry’s unit, without permission, and attacked Mr Perejuan while he was lying on his bed.

Mr Blandford said when Ms Berry, who had been dozing in the lounge room, attempted to help her housemate, Ware “swung around and hit her with the baton.”

Witness and neighbour Revena Maher said Ware followed Mr Perejuan out of the house where he again assaulted him on her driveway.

“I thought he (Ware) was going to kill him,” Ms Maher told the jury.

“He told me if I didn’t get out of the way that he was going to hit me with the bat as well.”

Mr Perejuan and Ms Berry were both treated for head and facial injuries following the incident.

Defence counsel Lisa Boston argued Mr Perejuan and Ms Berry had initiated physical contact with Ware, who she said had entered the house looking to buy drugs, but the jury took less than two hours to return a guilty verdict.

Ware was found not guilty on one other charge of aggravated burglary.

He will be sentenced on December 14.