After Ben Dawkins changed his plea from guilty to not guilty, the prosecution dropped seven charges against him for violating family violence restraining orders.
Next month, the 51-year-old will receive a sentence for an additional 35 breaches after preparing to contest the seven accusations at trial.
Before successfully arguing on May 8 that he should be allowed to amend his plea for seven of the violations, Dawkins had pleaded guilty to and was found guilty of all 42 offenses.
The independent MP, who was kicked out of the Labor Party last month, exuded optimism as he left Perth’s Magistrates Court on Friday, assuring reporters that justice had won out.
He remarked, “It’s fantastic to have those seven finished.
It was clear that at least seven of them, if not the bulk, are absolutely unimportant.
In relation to the seven accusations that were formally dropped, Dawkins informed the court that he would be asking for $4900 in expenses.
In addition, he expressed anxiety to the court about the possibility of being ejected from the WA parliament “if for some bizarre reason (he) was jailed” for the remaining 35 violations.
“There’s a lot at stake for me,” he said during the hearing, which was postponed twice on Friday while police prosecutors considered whether to pursue the seven allegations against the defendant.
Last month, WA Labor ousted the already-suspended Dawkins from the party because to the criminal allegations, but he is still serving on the crossbench in the legislature.
After retiring from the Labor Party, Dawkins, who was sworn into parliament in March, took Alannah MacTiernan’s place.
On June 6, he will make a second appearance in the Magistrates Court in Fremantle for sentencing on 35 counts of violating the family violence restraining order.
