A YOUNG woman faced Collie Magistrates Court on Wednesday, February 12, accused of making a false statement on a travel document.
The 22-year-old pleaded not guilty at a trial hearing for forging a signature on her child's passport.
On September 18, 2012, the woman went to the Collie Post Office with the mother of her current partner to lodge a passport application for her baby.
A passport interview was conducted and that was when the post office staff realised the father's declaration box was incomplete.
Collie post office manager Samantha Allott, who was called as a witness at the hearing, advised the woman that if she wished to lodge the application she would need to obtain the father's consent or declaration.
The woman told Ms Allott that she was unable to contact the father as it had been an abusive relationship and they were no longer in contact.
Ms Allott told the court that the woman left the post office and returned that same morning with the declaration completed.
As Ms Allott was checking the form she noticed the father's contact number had been left blank but it was not a necessary field, so lodged the application.
Ms Allott told the court it seemed like a straightforward application but she did have suspicions about the father's details so put a note at the bottom of the application.
The father was then contacted by the regional investigations manager for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to which he stated he had not signed a passport application form for his child. The woman said she had no idea how the signature ended up on the form because she did not sign it.
The magistrate found the woman guilty and placed her on a conditional release order for 12 months with court costs of $81.15.
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BRADLEY David Waiter, 21, pleaded guilty to assaulting another man causing bodily harm.
Between 11.10pm and 11.30pm on May 11 last year, Waiter assaulted a 47-year-old man after a joke was taken too far.
Waiter's legal representative told the court he had been drinking with his father in the afternoon and in hindsight should have stayed at home but instead decided to meet some friends at the Crown Hotel on Throssell Street.
Discussions with an older gentleman at the bar turned from banter to a robust conversation when a comment was raised about Waiter being clean-shaven. Waiter then punched the victim several times.
He admitted to being very much affected by alcohol and said he would not be getting as affected in future.
Waiter was fined $750 with court costs of $68.
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JARED Pihlgren, 44, pleaded guilty to driving his vehicle on a suspended licence.
At 6.05pm on November 28 last year, Pihlgren was stopped by police on Watson Road in Allanson. His licence was disqualified for nine months and he was fined $1250 with court costs of $146.90.
