Birchell Max Williams jailed for assaulting woman and stealing her car as she watched fireworks at Albany show

A Katanning man has been jailed for assaulting a 62-year-old woman and stealing her car while she was watching the fireworks at the Albany Agricultural Show in an attack that has left the victim with ongoing physical and mental issues. Birchell Max Williams, 42, was sentenced for aggravated robbery in Albany District Court last Thursday. The court was told about 8pm on November 12, the woman had parked her husband’s Ford Falcon ute in a parking bay outside a storefront on Lockyer Avenue to watch the fireworks. Five minutes later, she reversed out of the parking bay to exit on to Lockyer Avenue, before stopping to take a few more photos of the fireworks. She turned the engine off and got out of the car, leaving the keys in the ignition. The victim was standing about 1m from the driver’s side door taking photos when she was pushed in the back, causing her to fall against the vehicle. She then saw Williams sitting in the driver’s seat. The victim tried to grab the steering wheel and keys but Williams “grabbed her and pushed her, causing her to fall on the ground, falling first to her knees and then to her stomach”, Judge Amanda Burrows said. “She suffered a cut to her right hand, superficial abrasions to her knees and severe swelling and bruising to her left leg as a result of the fall,” she said. Judge Burrows said while the woman was lying on the ground close to the car, Williams spun the rear wheels and accelerated away, “narrowly missed” her. “The manner in which you stole the vehicle and drove off was extremely reckless,” she said. “There could have been catastrophic consequences had you driven over her — could have killed her.” The victim was taken by ambulance to Albany Health Campus for treatment. The next day, items belonging to the victim were found at Williams’ relative’s house and the stolen ute was found in Yakamia. The day after that, Williams turned himself into Katanning Police Station and admitted to the offence. Defence lawyer Elizabeth Hamilton said November 12 was Williams’ birthday and he had “very little recollection” of the day, after consuming alcohol, cannabis and methamphetamine. “He felt extremely bad about what had happened,” Ms Hamilton said. “And he went to the Katanning police and volunteered his explanation of what he had done and indicated he was taking full responsibility.” Judge Burrows said the ordeal had left the victim with “ongoing issues both physically and psychologically”. In a victim impact statement, the woman said the physical injuries had affected her ability to enjoy her hobbies and find work. “She no longer goes out at night and is not able to participate in many of the social activities that she once did because of her limited capacity for movement,” Judge Burrows said. “She describes having soft tissue damage and an issue with her knee that has not yet been dealt with due to long hospital waiting lists. “She’s unable to walk for more than a few minutes without feeling pain and having to sit down.” She felt “less useful and unsafe” after the incident, Judge Burrows said. “She’s undertaking psychological counselling which helps her, but that’s expensive and she has developed hypersensitivity which means she’s constantly alert,” she said. Williams was sentenced to two years in prison, backdated to May 25.