Alex Ezekiel Coombe: Collie shooting co-accused has bail application delayed for second time in a week

A man co-acused of a shooting in Collie in July has had his bail application postponed for the second time in under a week. Alex Ezekiel Coombe, 25, appeared by video link from Bunbury Regional Prison in Bunbury Magistrates Court on Monday on one charge each of attempting to strike a person with a projectile to cause grievous bodily harm and offering to sell or supply methamphetamine. In the hearing before Magistrate Stephen Butcher, Mr Coombe’s application for bail was delayed until November 7 to ensure Magistrate Joanne Andretich, who heard the original application partly heard on July 19, would be able to make a decision over the matter. His lawyer Matthew Blackburn told the court the bail application was delayed because an address and conditions were yet to be confirmed. It is the second time in less than a week Mr Coombe’s application for bail has been delayed, with Mr Blackburn initially making an application to the court on Thursday. “He’s never been in prison before, he’s found it quite difficult,” he said. The court was told of a home detention report which had been ordered in July, which raised an issue with the proximity of Mr Coombe’s proposed address to the complainant’s. Mr Blackburn told the court this was unlikely to be an issue. “I understand the complainant is on remand at Hakea Prison in Perth,” he said. The alleged July shooting occurred after a dispute allegedly escalated into a barrage of text messages directed at the complainant and a series of drives past the man’s home. After about 12 hours of the ordeal, police say the complainant was preparing to confront the accused men. He was shot in the hands and was later treated in hospital with nine shotgun pellets lodged in his hands. Magistrate William Yoo had initially approved Mr Coombe’s bail application on Thursday before retracting it when police prosecutor Sgt John Seidner shortly afterwards highlighted Magistrate Angus Hockton’s view that he was not minded to grant bail when Mr Coombe was before the court on August 29 due to “the seriousness of the case”. He requested both the prosecution and defence provide the transcript of Magistrate Hockton’s remarks to the magistrate hearing the matter on Monday. “If one magistrate has said it is not appropriate (to approve bail), it needs to be settled,” Magistrate Yoo said. His brother Joseph James Horohau Coombe, 34, also appeared in Bunbury Magistrates Court on Thursday by video link from Albany Regional Prison on his one charge of attempting to strike a person with a projectile to cause grievous bodily harm and two charges of possession of stolen or unlawfully obtained property. While the court was unable to get in contact with his lawyer, Mr Coombe indicated he would be applying for bail at a hearing in the Perth Magistrates Court on November 7.