Johnathan Peasley: Family pay tribute to Australind man killed in NDIS share house

A man killed in an Australind share house for people with disabilities is being remembered by his devastated family as a fun-loving character with a “tremendous” sense of humour. Johnathan Peasley is believed to have suffered stab wounds in an alleged attack by a housemate mid-afternoon on October 20 at the NDIS-funded home he was living in. Mr Peasley’s sister Elizabeth said the family were distraught at the death of the 40-year-old, who had been transferred to the intensive care unit at Royal Perth Hospital but died last Tuesday. “Jonno was a much loved character who will be very much missed by his friends and family,” she said. “Jonno loved to laugh and make others laugh, his sense of humour was tremendous. “All family and friends have been devastated by this tragedy.” Ms Peasley thanked the staff at St Jude’s Disability Services, who managed the home, for their support before and after the incident. “The care St Jude’s have given Jonno for the past nine years has been above and beyond,” she said. “We are so very grateful for St Jude’s and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.’ Chad Hardy appeared in court last week from Bunbury Regional Prison, with the charges against him upgraded from causing grievous bodily harm to murder. The 33-year-old remains in prison and will next face court on November 22 after the case was transferred to the Stirling Garden’s Magistrates Court. Magistrate Janelle Scutt transferred the case to the Perth courtroom to reflect the seriousness of the charges. Mr Peasley and Mr Hardy were funding recipients from the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which has launched an investigation into the death. The Juniper Road house in which Mr Peasley was killed is for sale and had a home open cancelled immediately following the alleged attack. A statement by St Jude’s said the company was assisting police with the matter and was proud of their staff’s response. “We regret to confirm that a resident living in one of St Jude’s homes passed away on Tuesday, 24th October, after an incident (allegedly) involving another NDIS participant,” it said. “First and foremost our thoughts go to the family and friends of the individual involved, and to our employees impacted both directly and indirectly. “We will continue to assist WA Police and work closely with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission investigation. “St Jude’s is incredibly proud of the way the staff involved in this dreadful situation handled themselves. “They responded quickly and with presence of mind, alerting the police who were then able to contain the situation.”