WA news live: Man charged over shopping centre machete attack; Perth set for commuter chaos as Keep The Sheep convoy clogs roads​on March 27, 2025 at 11:42 pm

A 55-year-old man and 50-year-old woman from Gidgegannup have each received a suspended 12-month prison sentence after 67 animals in appalling condition were seized from their home in two separate raids.

Dogs, cats, goats, horses, and several smaller pets were found in various states of distress and neglect during a raid at the three-acre address in January 2023.

The property was littered with household rubbish that reached the ceiling, rotting food, faeces, building materials and overcrowded animal cages containing guinea pigs, rabbits, rats, cats and birds.

Two small dogs were living inside the home, one with a fractured jaw and severe dental infection, while the other had dental disease and painful osteoarthritis.

Outside, there were more animals including a horse with its ribs, hips, and spine visible, and a severe skin infection.

Five dogs, six cats, one horse, one pony, nine guinea pigs, three goats, eight rabbits, eight rats, one chicken, and five quails were seized from the home.

In sentencing Magistrate Brionie Ayling said the cruelty was “entrenched neglect”.

The pair were ordered to pay $25,783.86 in reimbursement costs to RSPCA WA, and $10,500 in other costs.

The woman also received a $1000 fine for charges of hindering and threatening an inspector.

The couple were banned from owning animals for 15 years, except a dog and a bird for the man and a dog and a cat for the woman.

They will be required to allow inspectors to monitor the condition of these animals and they must take the animals to a vet at least once every 12 months.

One of the organisers of the Keep the Sheep protest has said they had been shown support from other commuters as their convoy snaked its way through the city this morning.

“Thumbs up, tooting the horn, there has been plenty of people on top of the bridges as we’ve been coming down waving support,” Paul Brown told 6PR’s Breakfast program.

“Even where we started this morning, people and families had pulled up and were all watching and taking photos and videos.

“I think the people of Perth support what we’re doing. We’ve had incredible support. We’ve had people from right across Perth wanting to join our campaign.

“What they don’t like is disconnected politicians from 4000 kilometres away tell us what we should do with our farming industry.”

Brown said they had picked the perfect day to protest – the same day the prime minister called the election.

He said the campaign they had built would be easy to see from Canberra and would send a clear message to politicians.

A 9 News reporter who is riding along with the convoy said they were now making their way down the Mitchell Freeway, and that there was no heavy traffic around them.

The election has just been called by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and a new face for WA’s federal seat of Forrest has put their hat in the ring.

Tabitha Dowding will run for Labor in the South West seat after working as a policy adviser for state Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis.

As a school officer at the School of Isolated and Distance Education, she said she had seen firsthand the barriers young people in the regions faced when trying to get an education.

She said she was keen to work to fix this, alongside other initiatives including cost-of-living relief.

But Dowding will have a fight on her hands as she squares off against Liberal candidate Ben Small who, according to the latest figures holds over 54 per cent of the vote.

The Keep the Sheep trucks are causing some congestion around Perth.

Main Roads says these are the most impacted roads: Mitchell Freeway southbound from Neerabup Road to Burns Beach Road, Reid Highway westbound, Kwinana Freeway northbound at Burns Beach Road.

Sticking with the major story this morning and a group calling for the end of the live export trade has spoken out, as those from the opposing side take to Perth roads to protest the ban.

Stop Live Exports WA spokeswoman Ruth Gourley called those protesting a “noisy minority”.

“They stand in stark contrast to the overwhelming majority of Australians, who want to see this cruel trade end because they want better protection for the welfare of animals,” she said.

“Australians have been appalled by the disturbing evidence of sheep suffering during export where they endure weeks of cramped, hot conditions.

“Transitioning from live sheep exports to chilled and frozen sheepmeat presents significant economic growth opportunities for Australia, particularly for WA.”

The group has claimed that 71 per cent of West Australians and 69 per cent of voters living in rural and regional WA supported the ban.

Alliance for Animals policy director Jed Goodfellow said Australians supported the legislated phase-out of live sheep exports by 2028, which includes nearly $140 million to help affected supply chains transition towards a “more ethical and economically viable alternative”.

“Reversing the phase-out won’t revitalise the diminishing live sheep export trade – it will only disrespect the majority of Australians while denying affected sheep producers crucial support to transition and invest in sustainable alternatives,” he said.

To crime news now and a 32-year-old man has been charged for allegedly striking another man several times with a machete at a Perth shopping centre.

On Wednesday around 8.05pm, the man allegedly jumped out of his car parked at the Midland Gate shopping centre along Great Eastern Highway in Midland, armed with the weapon.

He approached a 41-year-old man who was walking in the carpark and allegedly struck him several times, sustaining serious injuries.

The victim was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment via St John Ambulance.

The accused, from Midvale, has been charged with wounding or causing grievous bodily harm with intent to cause bodily harm or prevent arrest.

He was also charged with stealing a car and having no authority to drive.

His bail was refused, and he is due to appear before the Midland Magistrates Court today.

Detectives have urged anyone who saw the incident, or who has dash-cam footage of the area taken between 7.30pm and 8.30pm, to contact Crime Stoppers.