Jail for man who fractured his uncle’s cheek with a wrench

A man with a violent past of assaulting people with weapons has been jailed for fracturing his uncle’s cheek with a wrench during an alcohol-fuelled altercation. James Michael Mongoo, 37, was harvesting sandalwood on an outstation about 500km outside of Wiluna on November 19, 2022, when his uncle challenged him to a fight, upset that Mongoo suggested the man had been responsible for the death of his partner, Mongoo’s aunt. The victim had approached Mongoo with a fighting stick before putting it away and challenging Mongoo to a “fair fight”. When the victim turned away, Mongoo grabbed a large wrench, almost 50cm in length, and struck his uncle in the face, fracturing his cheek, which required two plates to repair the fracture. The matter went before a jury in Perth District Court this week with Mongoo claiming self-defence, which was rejected by the jury. However, they did find him not guilty of the original charge of with intent to harm, did an act as a result of which bodily harm was caused, and guilty instead of a lesser charge of unlawfully doing an act as a result of which bodily harm was caused. The jury heard Mongoo had not tried to seek any medical attention for the victim, who was lying on the ground, and threatened another person who tried to come to his aid. The victim gave evidence during the trial that the assault saw him lose a significant amount of weight, and that he was no longer able to chew the same. The court was told since being in custody, Mongoo had emergency surgery for bowel cancer and had undergone eight months of chemotherapy. Judge Amanda Burrows also heard Mongoo’s criminal history, which included several other incidents of assault involving weapons. One incident saw him convicted after striking his then-partner and another woman to the head with a wheel brace, and another saw him strike the same partner with a metal scooter repeatedly to the head, body and ankle. On another occasion he punched the same woman to the face multiple times because she refused to show him her phone, resulting in a broken jaw and eye socket. Judge Burrows said Mongoo had not demonstrated any victim empathy and remorse for his uncle. She sentenced him to 18 months imprisonment, backdated to July 25, 2023, and made him eligible for parole after serving half the term.