A man who admitted wounding a woman in a fight caught on camera was dealt a suspended prison sentence in the Supreme Court.

Russell Lambert, 57, was also ordered to pay $855 in restitution for a car windscreen, which he struck with a hammer during the same incident.

Lambert, from Pembroke, pleaded guilty in November to charges of wounding and causing wilful damage during an incident on July 8, 2023.

He was initially charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, which he denied, but admitted the lesser offence after footage of the incident captured on a Ring camera was disclosed.

Puisne Judge Alan Richards said the evidence showcased a “toxic relationship” between Lambert and the complainant, who was not named during the hearing, adding it was unfortunate they had not ended the relationship sooner.

“It certainly appears to the court that both of you would be better off if you had,” he said.

The court heard that Ring camera footage from the night of the incident showed the pair arguing after returning from a bar with the complainant making “snide remarks” to Lambert, who appeared to remain calm.

While the defendant tried to keep the complainant out of the apartment, she pushed her way inside where the argument continued with the complainant allegedly knocking items off a table before the altercation turned physical.

The defendant was later seen to exit the apartment with a hammer and smash the windscreen of the complainant’s car.

The complainant later left the apartment, went into a garage and returned with a pair of pliers, which she used to smash the glass door to the apartment.

Lambert was then seen coming out of the apartment with a hoe handle and he swung it at the complainant.

She came towards Lambert, who dropped the hoe handle, and the complainant appeared to try to strike the defendant in the head with the pliers.

The complainant eventually threw the pliers at Lambert before she got into her car and left.

The court heard that the complainant in the case suffered three wounds to her head in the altercation and required a total of 29 staples.

Lambert apologised to the court for his actions and said: “I know It will never happen again. I’m very sorry.”

Charles Richardson, counsel for Lambert, said it was fortunate that the Ring footage was disclosed before the matter reached trial.

He said that if it had not, the consequences for his client could have been much worse.

“If not, he might have been in Westgate right now for four or five years,” Mr Richardson told the court.

He added that his client could have potentially argued self defence in all of the circumstances, but chose to plead guilty.

Delivering his sentence, Mr Justice Richards told Lambert: “It’s apparent that this was an incident that involved aggressive behaviour by the complainant directed towards you, as well as the actions that you accept were unlawful.

“You deserve substantial credit for doing that because it does appear to me that if only the footage had come to light sooner, this process could have concluded some time ago and potentially in the lower court.”

He said that while the serious nature of the injuries meant the threshold for a custodial sentence had been crossed, there was reason to suspend that sentence given all the circumstances.

Mr Justice Richards sentenced Lambert to two years behind bars, but suspended that sentence for two years.

The judge warned Lambert that if he commits any further offences during the next two years the sentence could be activated.

Mr Richards also made a restitution order, calling for Lambert to repay the complainant for her damaged windscreen.

The judge added that both the complainant and Lambert had said they intended to avoid contact with each other, stating: “I hope you stick by that and you keep apart from each other.”

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