Chadwick Murray Tucker, 50, jailed 29 years after brazen sexual assault of woman walking home

A man who ripped open a woman’s shirt and bit her on the breast as she screamed for help has been jailed almost 30 years after the brazen sexual assault on a Kalgoorlie street. Advances in technology resulted in Chadwick Murray Tucker, 50, being charged in 2021 for the 1995 unlawful and indecent assault, and he was sentenced in Kalgoorlie District Court on Monday. Tucker — a father of 14 — was 21 and on parole when, about 3.15am on September 22, 1995, he approached a woman who was walking back to her hotel after leaving her farewell party. The pair walked together for a little while and when they reached the carpark across from the Plaza Hotel on Egan Street, Tucker leant in to kiss her and moved his hand to her breast. The victim resisted and screamed for help, but he did not stop. Instead, Tucker ripped her blouse open and bit her on the left breast, causing an open wound. He pushed the woman to the ground and began pulling at her pants but became startled and ran away. Forensics could not identify him at the time of the offence, but advances in technology saw him identified in 2021. Defence lawyer Ian Hope said Tucker was “remorseful” for his actions, which he labelled an “inappropriate overreaction to a rejection”. Reading from a victim impact statement provided to the court, the judge said the woman felt “broken”, could no longer trust anyone, and still could not walk alone. Since being informed the perpetrator had been identified, the woman reported having flashbacks which resulted in her seeing a psychologist. Mr Hope said Tucker fathered his first child at 16, was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 19, and had several convictions on his record up until 2017. Since that time, Mr Hope said Tucker had stopped using drugs and alcohol and was now a “law-abiding citizen” and “not a threat to the community”. The judge granted Tucker a 15 per cent discount for his plea of guilty, and for his age being a mitigating factor at the time of the offending. He was jailed for 12 months and will be eligible for parole in six months. Because Tucker was on parole at the time of the offending, the judge did not have the option to suspend his sentence.