Overview
- District Court Judge Seamus Rafferty granted Michael Robert Reynold Radomiljac bail without a GPS device, first to live in Katanning and later to reside in Perth under amended conditions.
- The judge called electronic monitoring in regional WA "unfair" and "not realistic," citing significant limitations in applying GPS tracking outside the Perth metro area, including places like Bunbury and Katanning.
- Alleged victim Kelly North says she has gone into hiding and is living in fear after the release, highlighting the human impact of the monitoring shortfall.
- Premier Roger Cook said the judiciary sets bail conditions and noted tracking was not mandated in this instance because the accused was not subject to a family violence restraining order before the alleged offence.
- Nationals and Liberal opposition figures argue the government overpromised on a statewide monitoring regime, urging legal changes and better resourcing to ensure devices can be used in regional communities.