Cheating husband rumours drove Kalgoorlie-Boulder sisters to footpath assault, court told

Rumours of a cheating husband are what provoked two Kalgoorlie-Boulder sisters to beat up a woman on a footpath, a court has been told. Cynthia West, 28, and her sister Siema West, 18, both appeared in Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court on Monday, with each pleading guilty to a charge of assault. The assaults on a Tuesday, July 9 left the victim with a blood nose and swelling to her face. It took place about 6pm when the sisters crossed a road to confront the woman who was waiting on a footpath for a taxi with her three children and two other family members. The older West sister made accusations of her husband cheating on her with the woman. The encounter turned violent, with both sisters hitting the woman with closed fists while she was sitting on the ground. Police prosecutor First Const. Nat Parkyn told the court both sisters said the assault continued while the victim’s family tried to intervene. During the altercation, Cynthia West punched the woman to the back of her head while she had her back turned. Lawyer Leneva Polmear, who represented both sisters, told the court both women were of “prior good character” and were “very sorry” for the incident. Magistrate Paul Lyons considered the early pleas of guilty in both cases. He accepted Cynthia West’s actions were “one-off”, telling her it was “unacceptable” to behave in that way. Mr Lyons handed her a “hefty” fine of $700 while her younger sister was fined $500 given her “less serious” role in the incident. The offence triggered the 18-year-old’s previously suspended $100 fine for breaching bail in May, relating to a separate matter. Both women were granted a spent conviction, meaning the offences have been wiped from most criminal records.