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Kalgoorlie-Boulder man armed with baseball bat seeking retribution deterred by child

Headshot of Amber Lilley
Amber LilleyKalgoorlie Miner
A man who sought retribution for ‘years’ of incidents has been commended for leaving once he realised a child was present with the wanted man.
Camera IconA man who sought retribution for ‘years’ of incidents has been commended for leaving once he realised a child was present with the wanted man. Credit: Kelsey Reid/Kalgoorlie Miner

A Kalgoorlie-Boulder man who armed himself with a baseball bat when he and nine friends sought retribution for “years” of incidents has been commended for leaving once he realised a child was present with the wanted man.

Aiden Mervyn Western, 21, appeared in Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to being armed to cause fear about midnight on July 1.

On that night, he and nine others went to the victim’s house seeking retribution for incidents that are alleged to have occurred across several years — but were not explained to the court.

Western, with a baseball bat raised in a threatening way, stood behind one other co-accused as they knocked on the door.

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When the victim answered, the co-accused grabbed him by the neck and pushed him inside, with Western following.

Shortly after, someone yelled out that there was a child inside the home which made Western turn around and walk away from the scene.

Western told the court it was “just a stupid decision” to visit the home in the first place, let alone while brandishing a weapon.

Magistrate Matthew Holgate said one positive fact was the 21-year-old left when he realised there was a child inside the home, and that he had too much to lose.

However, Mr Holgate said confrontation could often escalate quickly and put Western’s carpentry career at risk.

“This is not the way to sort things out,” Mr Holgate said.

“Going down this sort of path is going to ruin things for you. It’s just going to wreck it for you.”

Western was fined $1000 for the incident and ordered to pay court costs.

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