Perth man Mihael Vrhovsek who strangled woman in front of bystanders found guilty of attempted murder

A man who lifted a woman by the throat, choking her unconscious, then carried her limp body as two bystanders tried to intervene has been found guilty of attempted murder. Mihael Vrhovsek, 29, was convicted by a Supreme Court jury of attempting to murder the woman outside a Perth apartment complex in February, 2024. As the jury foreperson said “guilty”, a supporter of the accused in the gallery gasped and said “oh no”, while Vrhovsek swallowed and looked down. Confronting CCTV footage showed Mr Vrhovsek repeatedly strangling the woman, causing her to lose consciousness at least twice, as bystanders attempted to pull him away. At one point, a male bystander punched him and stomped on his head, yet Mr Vrhovsek maintained his grip on the woman’s throat. According to Prosecutor Jehna Winter, the days before the attack were marked by escalating aggressive behaviour towards the woman, whose identity has been suppressed. Mr Vrhovsek allegedly contacted the woman more than 230 times using multiple phones, and the day before the incident he sat in a parked car at the complex for several hours. On February 26, the woman returned to the building with a friend to collect personal belongings. When she approached the entrance, she saw Mr Vrhovsek waiting inside the foyer. She immediately sought help, calling triple-zero and approaching a passerby, Helena Du Plessis, who was walking her dogs. Ms Winter told the court that despite Ms Du Plessis’ attempts to intervene, Mr Vrhovsek suddenly lunged at the woman, grabbing her by the throat. The footage shows her losing consciousness as he carries her limp body by the throat down a driveway. The woman’s male friend arrives soon after and following a lengthy struggle manages to restrain Mr Vrhovsek. The court heard while being restrained he allegedly yelled “I want to kill her”, “She deserves it”, and “I want to finish the job”. Ms Winter told the jury that his “persistence” in attacking the woman, strangling her three times while bystanders tried to stop him, demonstrated his “intent” to murder. “Strangling (the woman) to the point of unconsciousness was simply not enough he went back again and again” she said. Defence barrister Luka Margaretic told the jury that his client’s actions in assaulting the woman were “inexcusable”. However he said the prosecution had not proved beyond reasonable doubt that he intended to kill her. He pointed to the fact Mr Vrhovsek chose to give evidence saying he was not “arrogant” or “defensive” when he took the stand. “You saw him react emotionally to what he had done,” Mr Margaretic said. “I think he was honestly trying to make sense of his conduct”. He said the prosecution should have laid the alternative charge of causing serious harm. The jury took four-and-half hours to reach the guilty verdict. Mr Margaretic asked Justice Alain Musikanth to order a psychiatric report to be completed ahead of his sentencing. He told Justice Musikanth that his client had “medical health conditions” that “will weigh significantly on your honour’s sentence.” He will be sentenced on July 23.