Baseball bashing case under review

Albany police are set to review an assault case which left a man with a severely fractured face after he was attacked in his home with a baseball bat six months ago.

Albany man Leigh Faulds is demanding answers to why no one was charged from the alleged assault in November last year which left him with 13 fractures to his left eye socket and required two plates and eight screws inserted into his face.

The 56-year-old disability pensioner said he was asleep in his home in Centennial Park at 1.30am when he was awoken by a man known to him, hitting him in the legs with a baseball bat.

As he sat up, he was then allegedly hit by a single blow to the face with a baseball bat.

Mr Faulds said he staggered from his home to the Caltex Star Shop on York Street where police were called and he was taken to Albany Health Campus.

He underwent surgery in Perth at Fiona Stanley Hospital.

“I had 13 fractures in my eye socket and face and the surgeon said I was half an inch away to the left from being killed if I had been hit in the temple,” he said.

“My face and the inside of my mouth was split open.

“I still can’t lie on the left side of my face due to the pain.”

Mr Faulds said he had laid an assault complaint but had not heard from police since the night he was attacked.

Police confirmed last week they would review the case after being contacted by the Albany Advertiser with “new investigative actions” to be undertaken and it was also being reviewed if “issues of communication” had hampered the investigation.

In a statement, Albany police confirmed Mr Faulds had laid an assault complaint last year and he required medical treatment for his injuries. Police also confirmed Mr Faulds had nominated a suspect to them, the alleged incident of assault occasioning bodily harm had occurred in his house in Centennial Park and “a number of people” had been interviewed but no one had been charged.