Disturbing CCTV footage of a man attacking a woman on a Perth street has been released after a trial in which he was convicted of her attempted murder.
WARNING: This story contains vision and details that may distress some readers.Â
Mihael Vrhovsek, 29, was on trial in the Supreme Court of Western Australia after being charged with trying to kill the woman, who was known to him, outside an apartment complex in suburban Perth in 2024.
Mihael Vrhovsek was this week found guilty of attempted murder. (Facebook: Mihael Vrhovsek)
The woman called Triple Zero when she saw him, and asked for help from a passer-by who was walking her dogs.
The jury was shown a graphic video of him confronting the woman, which the ABC has published excerpts of.
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The 29-year-old grabbed the woman by the throat, lifted her off her feet and carried her, before dropping her limp body to the ground.
A man then intervenes, confronting Vrhovsek, which allowed the woman who was walking her dogs an opportunity to drag the victim away.
She was able to walk on her own, but Vrhovsek — having broken free of the man who had confronted him — ran after her and again began to choke her.Â
Vrhovsek dumped the woman on the ground before a man confronted him. (Supplied: Supreme Court of Western Australia)
The man who had intervened returned, punching and kicking Vrhovsek in a bid to get him to let go, before the woman walking her dogs was again able to drag the victim away.
‘I want to kill her’
The man who came to help ultimately held Vrhovsek down, preventing him from attacking the woman yet again.
The court heard he had said “I want to kill her” and “I want to finish the job”.
The court also released the woman’s Triple Zero phone call where she can be heard screaming and repeatedly shouting “get away from me”.
At one point during the call, which lasts for more than eight minutes, the operator asks if the man has any weapons.
“Does he need to have weapons to be f***ing threatening?” the woman replied.
“The longer you take to answer my questions, the longer its going to take for me to put the job on,” the operator said as the woman continues to tell the man to get away from her.
“He’s here … send the goddamn police right now!” the woman pleads.
“Stop screaming,” the operator said before confirming police were on their way.
Prosecutor Jehna Winter had told the jury Vrhovsek called or texted the woman more than 230 times over a period of three days using multiple mobile phones.
A man intervened to stop the attack. (Supplied: Supreme Court of Western Australia)
Vrhovsek’s lawyer had said he expected the video would have caused members of the jury to have a “visceral response”, and referred to his client’s action as “inexcusable”.
But he said the question was about intent, saying: “Did he intend to murder or kill or was it a serious assault?”
On Wednesday, a jury found Vrhovsek guilty of attempted murder.
He is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on July 23.