Anthony Tekooro Graham pleads guilty to serious incident involving ex-partner and daughter

A 28-year-old man has been found guilty of endangering his daughter and ex-partner during an erratic car ride. Anthony Tekooro Graham, appeared before Rockingham Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with one count of criminal damage and one count of intent to harm. Prosecutor Jessica Anderson told the court on October 6, 2021, Graham had contacted his ex-partner after feeling unwell. The victim picked up Graham to take him to a nearby hospital with their two-year-old daughter in the vehicle. Graham then changed his mind about wanting to go to the hospital and became aggressive towards the victim. When they stopped at a set of traffic lights, Graham got out of the car and began to argue with the driver of another vehicle, the victim taking the opportunity to drive away from Graham. The victim then realised that Graham had left his belongings in the car and she returned to get him. As they were driving along the Kwinana Freeway southbound, Graham again began verbally abusing her and demanded that she drop him at her home address. He then repeatedly attempted to undo their child’s seatbelt. The victim turned off along Mortimer Road and as they approached Warnbro Sound Avenue, Graham reached out for the steering wheel, causing the victim to swerve into the left lane and narrowly miss the nature strip. Graham then became physically aggressive, throwing around objects in the car and hitting the LCD screen, causing it to crack. Graham was arrested following the incident. When interviewed by police his explanation was, “she just knows how to get under my skin”. Duty counsel Kim Famer said that the “seriousness of the incident” led to Graham seeking assistance from Shalom House to address some underlying issues. “He has since become something like a mentor to some of the other Maori men at Shalom House and has actively re-engaged with his faith, which has been a major turning point for him,” she said. Magistrate Vivien Edwards sentenced Graham to nine-months imprisonment suspended for 12.