- Former West Coast star fined after breaching court order
- The soccer star played 227 games with the Eagles during his playing career.
- He pleaded guilty to two charges in relation to a text and a social media message.
A former West Coast Eagles senior player was fined $700 on Tuesday after the 45-year-old was found to have breached a family violence restraining order by liking a photo on social media and sending a text message to a woman.
David Wirrpanda, who played 227 games for the Eagles between 1996 and 2009, appeared in Perth Magistrates Court after being charged with four breaches of the order.
Prosecutors dropped two of the charges, while the 2006 premiership winner pleaded guilty to the remaining two offences.
He was later fined $700 and ordered to pay $156 in court costs. Magistrate Lynette Dias said the offense was at the “lower end of the scale” and Wirrapanda was also given a spent sentence.
Police had previously claimed that the offenses took place on October 11 and 12, when he had made contact with a woman he knew.
David Wirrapanda was fined $700 after pleading guilty to two violations of a family violence restraining order.
David Wirrpanda, who made 227 appearances for the Eagles between 1996 and 2009 and won the premiership with West Coast.
According Western AustraliaThe 45-year-old’s lawyer claimed the former soccer star had received a notification about a photo of the woman on social media. He had liked the photo by sending a “love heart” emoji.
Wirrapanda, who was named National Person of the Year by NAIDOC for his charity work, also allegedly sent a text message to the woman, saying: “I’m sorry I’ll be in trouble but my love is too strong.” Sorry, I’ll take it when it comes.
After being drafted in 1995 by West Coast, Wirrapanda remains the youngest player to have played in a senior AFL game for the Eagles, debuting at just 16 years and 268 days in the fifth round of the 1996 season.
Her lawyers also said the former soccer star was “extremely embarrassed” by the incident, adding that she “knew she shouldn’t have done it.”
During the hearing, Wirrapanda’s lawyers claimed the 45-year-old had no previous offences, other than a traffic record. They also noted his charity work for the Waalitj Foundation and that he ran his own business.
Her lawyers also said the former soccer star was “extremely embarrassed” by the incident, adding that she “knew she shouldn’t have done it.”
The Waalitj Foundation aims to help provide Indigenous youth with greater education and employment opportunities. It was founded in 2005 and has reached more than 60,000 people since its inception.
Her company, Wirrapanda Supplies, also invests in the future of indigenous people and produces sustainable cleaning products.
Speaking about the case, Magistrate Dias said: ‘The orders are made in order to protect vulnerable members of the community.
“The violation involved you loving the photos and sending the text message.”
