By Rebecca Peppiatt and Heather McNeill
A Perth man has been charged with attempted murder over the stabbing of a woman in Gooseberry Hill last night, in yet another alleged family violence incident.
Christopher John Sullivan, 72, is accused of stabbing his partner 60-year-old Paulette Mountford multiple times in the neck and torso.
It’s alleged he then barricaded himself inside a property on Jessie Road, with tactical response group officers attending the scene to coax him out.
A neighbour told 9 News Perth they heard screams and discovered Mountford injured in a front garden around 5.30pm.
Neighbours applied pressure to Mountford’s stab wounds until paramedics arrived.
She underwent emergency surgery and was in critical condition on Wednesday morning.
Sullivan appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday wearing a blue jumpsuit and told the magistrate he did not need legal representation because he wanted to “plead guilty to the charge anyway.”
“Would you like to speak to a lawyer?” Magistrate Tanya Watt asked.
“Not really,” he replied.
“You are needing legal advice for this matter,” Watt said, before standing the matter down for Sullivan to speak to a duty lawyer.
When the matter was recalled, Sullivan’s appointed lawyer said he would be applying for Legal Aid. He did not formally enter any pleas or apply for bail.
He was remanded in custody to appear in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on June 26.
Mountford’s daughters have since released a statement, saying they were “devastated and utterly heartbroken” by the ordeal and hoped their mother would overcome her injuries.
“It is too early to think of anything other than our mother’s recovery, so we ask that we are given space and privacy to concentrate on our Mum,” they wrote.
“Thank you to those that came to her aid in her time of need, and to those who continue to care for her.
“We are devastated and utterly heartbroken that our dear mother has endured such a horrifying ordeal and is now fighting for her life at Royal Perth Hospital.
“For such a kind-hearted person to suffer so deeply is hard for us to understand.
“All that we want at this time is for our mother to overcome her injuries, and we pray and hope that she gets better soon. She is a strong woman and we know she will be using all her strength to get better.”
Outside the Gooseberry Hill property, neighbour Lorraine described Mountford as a warm and delightful woman.
“She’s a very warm lady, she does a lot of work with the church as well,” she said.
“She goes to the church and actually works in domestic violence, she helps the ladies.”
The attack comes two days after a son allegedly bludgeoned his mother to death inside her Byford home on Sunday night.
In Australia, a woman is killed every four days by someone she knows.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact 1800 RESPECT (1800respect.org.au). Call 000 if you are in immediate danger. Lifeline: 13 11 14.
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