Ryan Philip Kukura: WAFL boundary umpire sentenced to seven months prison for multiple FVRO breaches

The lawyer for one of WA’s longest-serving umpires has argued his client should receive a spent conviction for breaching a family violence restraining order dozens of times so he could get his name on the WAFL Hall of Fame. However, Magistrate Steven Malley disagreed, instead sentencing boundary umpire Ryan Kukura to prison for the breaches in Rockingham Magistrates Court on Monday. Kukura was originally charged with 399 counts of breaching a family restraining order. This was sensationally dropped to just 40 charges to which Kukura pleaded guilty on Monday. The prosecution also dropped two charges of aggravated stalking. The remaining charges encompassed a nine-month period where Kukura messaged his ex-partner, who he’d been married to for 13 years, on Instagram and via SMS. “None of (the messages) were threatening in nature, they’re all him expressing his love for her and wanting to get back with her,” Police prosecutor Sergeant Lauren Cameron told the court. Kukura’s lawyer Tim Hampson sought a fine, despite his client being caught by the third strike rule, which means the penalty must include a term of imprisonment. Mr Hampson claimed that they were “consensual” breaches and his client was allowed to contact the victim about their property and the children. “Messaging her to come around and have sex is a serious deviation,” Magistrate Steven Malley interrupted. Mr Hampson argued that the court hearings had an “unusual” impact on Kukura. “The WA Football Commission has stood him down as an umpire as a result of these charges,” he said. “We believe he should be granted a spent conviction because he would like to continue umpiring. “He’s in line to be inducted into the hall of fame.” Mr Kukura first joined the WAFL’s ranks in 2001 and has officiated more State League games than anyone in the history of the competition. The umpiring veteran has officiated nine WAFL grand finals — the most by any boundary umpire in competition history — most recently in the 2021 decider between Subiaco and South Fremantle at Optus Stadium. Mr Kukura made his AFL umpiring debut in 2016 in a match between West Coast and Richmond at Subiaco Oval. He umpired 24 AFL games across 2016 and 2017. Last year, he reached his combined 400-game milestone — for games officiated in the WAFL and the AFL. Magistrate Malley sentenced Kukura to seven months in prison suspended for a year and fined him $2000. He told Kukura if he’d treated his partner better while they were together he “wouldn’t be in this position”. “You aren’t granted a restraining order for looking at someone the wrong way,” he added. “I deal with hundreds of people like you and I have to make it clear for these acts of violence you’ll be sent to prison immediately today. “You are a third striker and in my view it would take something extraordinary to think a term of imprisonment is unlikely.”