Markets 
What seemed like the horrific assault of a defenceless elderly lollipop man will now be the subject of a police internal affairs investigation after it was revealed the 87-year-old was allegedly making unwanted advances towards a 19-year-old woman.
Colin McGhee was shoved so hard while manning a Rossmoyne crossing on May 19 that he fell forward and broke his clavicle, while also sustaining multiple bruises across his body.
His assailant was 18-year-old Jatin Pudaruth, who had approached the man to complain about “behaving in an unsuitable manner” towards his girlfriend’s 19-year-old sister after he asked for her number and then repeatedly sent her creepy text messages.
“Hi sweetie, will we see you this evening?” one of them read, followed by: “love you, Colin.”
He also brought the woman gifts, including once giving her a $100 fuel voucher.
The woman used the crossing daily to take her younger sister to school but felt uncomfortable about McGhee’s behaviour, which included hugging her, professing his love and repeated advances. She confided in Pudaruth, who approached McGhee days before the May 19 incident to ask him to stop.
When the messaging allegedly continued, Puduruth admitted to police he approached McGhee again who said: “You can’t tell me who I can and can’t talk to you. You need to go back to where you came from.”
Puduruth saw red and “walked up pushed him over with both hands” before stealing the man’s white cap and whistle.
He left the scene but soon after handed himself into a police station where he was arrested and charged with assaulting a public officer and stealing.
But the situation took a turn when it was revealed that McGhee’s attack was not random and that there was a “history of interactions between the parties [that] has contributed to the offence”.
During Puduruth’s sentencing on Wednesday, it was revealed that the 19-year-old woman’s father has now made a formal complaint about McGhee and that the WA Police’s Internal Affairs Unit was now conducting an investigation into his behaviour.
Puduruth was sentenced to a 10-month intensive supervision order for the assault charge and received a $400 fine for the stealing.
Outside court, his lawyer Mark Andrews said his client “regrets the entire episode”.
“He’d like to extend his sincere apologies to Mr McGhee for the harm caused to him,” he said.
“It’s something that he regrets every day, and I’m certain that he’ll never find himself in this position again.”
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