Doctors need a hoist and a machine to put her in a wheelchair. She can't move her lower limbs and has very little hand function. A RPH doctor noted in his medical report that the woman's progress "would be slow and it was likely that she would need all this care for quite some time, if not forever." Details of the shocking assault and the vast extent of the woman's injuries were read out in Broome District Court two weeks ago as 32-year-old Joshua Yamalulu was jailed for the attack. The 38-year-old woman was left bedridden after the attack.

Yamalulu pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm, a crime which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years. He was sentenced to three years and eight months jail and can apply for parole in December next year. "You turned a woman who was on all accounts a healthy young woman aged about 38 years into a disabled woman who cannot walk or stand, cannot speak or eat independently, cannot look after herself in any way and needs constant care, which is likely to remain the case for a very long time if not forever," Judge Annette Schoombee said. "So you've taken away all her joy in living and her freedom to do what she likes. You have removed her from her community and her friends." You turned a healthy young woman aged about 38 years into a disabled woman who cannot walk or stand.

The court was told Yamalulu arrived drunk at his former partner's Fitzroy Crossing home on the night of February 23. He entered the house and found the victim with another man, who ran from the scene. He grabbed the woman on the arm and threw her to the ground before jumping on her chest, legs and head. The victim screamed and pleaded with him to stop. Yamalulu continued the assault, before leaving his ex-partner unconscious outside the rear of the house under a washing line.

The court heard Yamalulu had assaulted his former partner on several occasions. The court was told how Yamalulu had carried out two previous assaults on his ex-partner before the February 23 attack. The court heard how the pair were a "recidivist domestic violence couple." On one occasion he used a large empty glass bottle to hit the victim to the back of the head. On another occasion he punched her in the face and struck her in the back of the head with a rock.

The court was told how Yamalulu had been brought up in a disadvantaged environment where violence and alcoholism "were the usual way of living." "You regularly observed your father drinking to excess and assaulting your mother," Judge Annette Schoombee said. "You also regularly saw other relatives and community members committing acts of violence against each other, particularly when they had been drinking. "This is likely to have caused you to see excessive drinking and using violence against others, particularly your female partners, as being normal." In 2017 there were 5115 convictions in WA for breaching a restraining order. Credit:Chris Brignell

Tragically, this case is one of thousands of domestic related assaults occurring in remote areas like the Kimberley, where excessive alcohol abuse and violence against others is perceived by some as being normal. The victim in this case had taken out a violence restraining order against her former partner and the case shines a spotlight on violence restraining orders, and as to whether they are adequately helping those who use them as a form of protection, particularly in remote areas. Figures provided to WAtoday show convictions in Western Australia for breaching a violence restraining order are rising. In 2013 there were 3544 charges which resulted in a conviction for breaching a violence restraining order. In 2014 that number rose to 3778. In 2015 it rose again to 4510 convictions.

Last year there were 5115 charges which resulted in a conviction for breaching a violence restraining order. That's an average of 98 convictions per week. Kimberley Police District Superintendent Allan Adams revealed there were 2599 domestic assaults reported to Kimberley district police last financial year, an increase of about 40 per cent on the previous year. The attack happened in the Kimberley town of Fitzroy Crossing. The passionate and straightforward talking cop told WAtoday he was encouraged by the figures because it showed more people were willing to report domestic violence and in turn, it was giving police a better picture of the problem.

"There is no 40 per cent increase in domestic violence, it's always been there, it's a 40 per cent increase in reporting," he said. "We've put a lot of effort in with other government agencies to try and lift up the reporting rates. "While I don't think we will ever be able to put our hand on our heart and say 'we know the full extent of domestic violence across the Kimberley' I think we are getting much closer to seeing a much better part of this picture. "Obviously once you get a better part of the picture, you have the ability then to actually start working with families, working with perpetrators, working with victims, to try and reduce the impact of that offending lifestyle." Kimberley Police District Superintendent Allan Adams

Superintendent Adams said reducing the demand and availability of alcohol in the Kimberley was key to addressing domestic violence. He said alcohol was present in 75 per cent of domestic violence cases in the Kimberley, in that either the victim, the offender or both were under the influence at the time. "You can't help but think that if we're able to control the alcohol better, we will see a reduction and that's the main part the police are going after," he said. "This is a community problem and it needs a community response around how do we reduce this carnage?"