Mark Anthony Newbey: Albany man handed immediate jail term for prolonged stalking of ex-partner

An Albany man who “relentlessly” breached restraining orders and protective bail conditions while stalking his ex-partner was sentenced to jail time and declared a serial family violence offender. Mark Anthony Newbey, 36, appeared before the Albany Magistrates Court on Friday via video link from Casuarina Prison, facing 19 charges including aggravated stalking, many of them relating to breaches of a family violence restraining order and protective bail conditions, both relating to the same victim. Police prosecutor Sgt Dylan Fisher said Newbey had intimidated and threatened the victim, including trespassing at her home on two separate occasions. Police executed a search warrant at Newbey’s Yakamia address on March 20 and found small amounts of methamphetamine and cannabis, along with smoking implements. They also found gel blaster, an assault rifle replica. Sgt Fisher requested orders for the destruction of all drugs and paraphernalia and forfeiture of the replica firearm, which magistrate Erin O’Donnell granted. Newbey was arrested and served a family violence restraining order, which he breached less than a month later. Police said Newbey breached both the restraining order and protective bail conditions on multiple occasions. These included going camping with the victim near Cheynes Beach, interacting with the victim while running on Middleton Beach, and sending a combined 1431 text and voice messages and calls between April 8 and May 2, many of which indicated Newbey was monitoring the victim’s movements. Newbey represented himself in court and argued the victim had also attended his home without his permission, and denied trespassing at the victim’s home without her knowledge, saying the victim knew he would be coming over. Ms O’Donnell reminded him that regardless of an invitation from the victim, a person bound by a restraining order or protective bail condition must follow it under all circumstances. In his lengthy address to the magistrate, Newbey said he was “far from proud” of his conduct, and understood he should not have engaged or responded when the victim reached out to him. Sgt Fisher said Newbey had been “on a mission to isolate and control every aspect of (the victim’s) life”, and said Newbey’s actions had a “debilitating” effect on the victim. Ms O’Donnell agreed, noting an “enormous emotional impact” on the victim who had written about the “scars” left by ongoing emotional manipulation and coercive control in a victim impact statement. Newbey was sentenced to 10 months jail, backdated to May 4 and fined $2050 for the possession of drugs and a weapon. He was declared a serial family violence offender.