![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7553bba24c3994f77eb00df599b00606.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nA man who smashed his head through the windscreen of an ambulance while naked on a public street in Western Australia’s Goldfields has been handed a suspended sentence and $100 fine.<\/p>\n
Brian Charles Parfitt attacked the ambulance, and the paramedics inside, on December 7 last year after he had been spotted behaving erratically on the streets of Boulder, 600km east of Perth.<\/p>\n
Parfitt, 26, attempted to climb the first ambulance on scene before mounting the second and repeatedly smashing his head into the windscreen.<\/p>\n
The paramedics inside drove back and forth in an attempt to dislodge him, before he smashed his head through the windscreen and began crawling inside.<\/p>\n
The St John Ambulance staff fled the vehicle and ran to the second ambulance, with Parfitt apprehended a short time later and placed into an induced coma.<\/p>\n
Parfitt’s lawyers had previously indicated he was having a “mental health episode” at the time of the incident, but further details have not been mentioned during court proceedings.<\/p>\n
Video of the incident, which the ABC has chosen not to republish, was circulated widely on social media and sparked a campaign from St John’s around the near-constant violence faced by the ambulance service’s staff.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Prosecutors said Parfitt threatened bystanders with a pair of scissors taken from the ambulance. (ABC Goldfields: Macey Turner)<\/p>\n
Prosecutors urged prison term<\/p>\n
As Parfitt faced the Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court on Monday for sentencing, prosecutors urged an immediate jail term.<\/p>\n
Police prosecutor Carl Logan said the 26-year-old, who appeared via video link from Casuarina Prison, was naked in the vicinity of women and children, and had threatened to kill a bystander with scissors taken from the ambulance.<\/p>\n
Sergeant Logan said Parfitt had a lengthy criminal record, with the attack coming four months after his release from prison on other charges and causing $4,000 damage to the ambulance.<\/p>\n
The court heard he had failed to engage with rehabilitation programs and represented a high risk of future offending.<\/p>\n
Defence points to family support<\/p>\n
Defence lawyer Leneva Polmear submitted a letter from Parfitt’s Perth-based father, describing his pride in his son’s efforts to turn his life around.<\/p>\n
Ms Polmear said the family had made arrangements with a metropolitan crisis support service to ensure Parfitt had access to appropriate help.<\/p>\n
![\"Ambulance](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/670b8c3e928026fdc932726d48b0cce2.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Parfitt’s attack caused $4,000 damage to the ambulance. (ABC Goldfields: Macey Turner)<\/p>\n
Sentencing Parfitt, Magistrate Donna Webb said she had only been willing to consider a non-custodial sentence if the 26-year-old’s father was willing to take him in.<\/p>\n
She told the court she was also required to factor in Parfitt’s significant mental health issues and the 261 days he had already spent in custody.<\/p>\n
Describing the 13-month suspended prison term as a likely “last chance”, she said Parfitt would need to do everything right to avoid further time in custody.<\/p>\n
Magistrate Webb urged the 26-year-old to remain in Perth after his release from prison.<\/p>\n
“Kalgoorlie seems to be a trap for you,” she said.<\/p>\n
Attacks on paramedics rising<\/p>\n
![\"Rebecca](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/c0f938a497ef49a54f5d1011d9edb2c7.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n