Greg Shar sentenced to 26 months behind bars for assaulting his partner and coercing her to drop the charges

A Geraldton man who viciously assaulted his partner, then told the victim to change her statement to police in a bid to get the charges against him dropped, has been sentenced to 26 months behind bars. Greg Neil Shar appeared in Geraldton District Court on Monday for sentencing on charges of aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm and attempting to pervert justice. State prosecutor Gary Huggins said Shar and his partner were sitting in their front yard drinking with family on November 26, 2021, in Rangeway when the man became heated. The victim attempted to walk away from Shar, but she was followed and punched in the head and face repeatedly. Shar’s partner fled the front yard and locked herself inside the house with their newborn baby. The man then pulled on the front screen door, breaking the timber frame in an attempt to reach the victim. Police attended and arrested Shar, taking photos of the victim’s injuries and damage to the house. Between November 29 and December 28, the court heard Shar used the prison telephone to call his partner 21 times. He told the victim to write to the courthouse to get the charges dropped, change her statement and not to attend court hearings. “A lot of people in here have done it and got off,” Shar said. The victim delivered a letter to ALS Geraldton stating they were both intoxicated, and she wanted the charges dropped. Defence lawyer George Giudice said the pair got into an argument after they ran out of alcohol prior to the assault. The court was told the victim was supportive of Shar and had visited him in prison. Mr Giudice highlighted Shar’s completion of the Being a Better Man and Domestic Violence intervention programs. District Court Judge Michael Bowden sentenced him to 26 months imprisonment. The sentence has been backdated to November 26, 2021, and Shar will be eligible for parole on December 26.