FORMER One Nation candidate for Rockingham has pleaded guilty to breaching protective bail conditions by contacting his former partner’s hairdresser.
James O’Malley was in the dock for Friday’s court appearance after breaching bail by re-offending, and was told he will remain in jail until he is formally sentenced on June 7.
He first pleaded not guilty to two counts of breaching protective bail conditions before he returned to the dock a short time later to change his pleas to guilty.
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READ NOWHe said he wished to change his plea to “progress things along”.
He told Magistrate Vivien Edwards that he ‘pleaded guilty with exceptional circumstances’ to both charges.
The prosecutor said O’Malley had consistently tried to contact his former partner through her hairdresser.
He rang the woman’s hairdresser several times asking if they had heard from the victim and if they had the victim’s new phone number.
He has also pleaded not guilty to 10 charges of breaching violence restraining orders and a further two breaches of protective bail conditions.
He is set for a trial on those matters on June 2.
Ms Edwards asked O’Malley why he breached his bail.
“My lawyer wanted me to contact her to subpoena her,” he said.
He told her the facts were accepted.
Through the duty lawyer he applied for bail.
The prosecutor said police refused bail due to his persistence in trying to contact the victim.
“There are numerous breaches and it is a real concern – he knows what he is doing,” he said.
“He is in the schedule two category and there are ongoing investigations.
“We argue no bail conditions could be imposed to stop him from contacting the victim.
“The breaches may not appear threatening but they are constant; the continual attempts to contact the victim would give the victim some interpretation.”
Ms Edwards agreed with the prosecutor and remanded him in custody for sentencing on June 7, after his trial on June 2.
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