By Hannah Barry
A Perth man who broke into a home in the dead of night and brutally assaulted a man with a golf club has been sentenced to four years imprisonment.
Jared Utting, 29, appeared in the WA Supreme Court last week to face charges of armed and aggravated home burglary.
WA Supreme Court heard the matter last week. Credit: Erin Jonasson
The court heard Utting broke into a home in Heathridge just after midnight on March 8.
He removed a flyscreen cover on the front lounge room window, and climbed into the home.
When he was inside he found a set of golf clubs, and armed himself.
He then went into the bedroom of the sleeping occupant and woke him.
The court heard the man thought Utting was his housemate until Utting began beating him with the golf club.
Utting hit the man hard on his left testicle, left wrist and back. At one point, he hit him so hard the handle of the golf club broke in two.
Justice Janine Pritchard revealed details of the horrific assault.
“You got on top of [the man] and straddled him whilst he was lying in his bed, and you began to choke him. You then demanded cash or weapons from him. [The man] told you that he did not have any cash or weapons,” she said.
“[The man] then managed to roll off the bed and to shake you off.
“You again asked him for cash or weapons, and he again told you he had neither.
“At that point, you told [the man] to get on his knees on the ground, but he refused. By this time, you had picked up one end of the broken golf club.
Gosnells and Thornlie had the highest number of home burglary insurance claims in 2017.Credit: Ken Irwin
“You then told [the man] to go out into the lounge room, where you again asked him for money or weapons. At that point, you located a backpack, which belonged to [the man’s housemate], on a lounge chair.
“You rummaged through the backpack and found two sets of head torches. They belonged to [both the men].
“You then took the head torches and left the house through the front door, and proceeded north along Poseidon Road.”
Police were called and picked up Utting close by the house.
He was arrested and charged, and in a trial in the WA Supreme Court, told a jury he had been set upon by an occupant of the house.
“There is no real indication that you are remorseful for what occurred,” Justice Pritchard said.
“The version of the events which you gave to the jury, and more recently, to the psychologist, does not give any hint of remorse on your part for having engaged in such violent behaviour.”
Utting was sentenced to four years and four months in prison, and will be eligible for parole in May 2019.