Joel Leslie Painter: 36-year-old charged over horrendous Girrawheen home invasion after Mirrabooka arrest
The manhunt for a 36-year-old alleged to have taken part in a horrific Perth home invasion has come to an end after he was arrested on Sunday morning.
Joel Leslie Painter was the last person police were seeking over the alleged April 16 robbery in which grandmother Ninette Simons, 73, and her husband Philip Simons, 76, were attacked in their home.
Painter is now facing five charges over the incident — aggravated home burglary, aggravated robbery, detaining someone with intent to gain a benefit, aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm and impersonating a police officer.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Mr Painter will face Joondalup Magistrates Court on Monday.
Police had already charged three people — including former immigration detainee Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan — over the home invasion, which has made headlines across the country.
It is alleged that Doukoshkan, another man — who police asked media not to identify while the search was underway — and Mr Painter pretended to be police officers to con their way into the Simons’ northern Perth home before beating Ms Simons and stealing $200,000 of jewellery.
It can now be revealed that the second arrest was of 38-year-old Seyed Younes Tahami, who is next due to face Joondalup Courthouse on June 10.
During the elderly couple’s ordeal, Mr Simons was allegedly tied up.
Ms Simons, a cancer survivor, said one of the men tried to put handcuffs on her before she was allegedly punched in the face by another.
She said the attack left her feeling terrified and in pain.
“I am not the same person I used to be, I can hardly stand or walk,” Ms Simons has said.
The West revealed a drug debt owed to the Comanchero bikie gang was one of the suspected motivations behind the home invasion.
The case of Mr Doukoshkan has put the Federal Government in the spotlight. He was accused of repeatedly breaching the curfew imposed on him, following his release last November as part of a contentious High Court decision.
That led to a hearing before magistrate Tanya Watt, who was told by Commonwealth prosecutor Kirsty Stynes they did not oppose bail — even though they had concerns about more potential offences.
The Government has been under increasing pressure over the debacle, with calls for Immigration Minister Andrew Giles and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil to quit.
