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Perth Police Officer Gets 10-Month Community Order for Shaking Baby
The court said the infant was shaken three times after a difficult night and stressed the need for deterrence despite no injuries.
Nickolas Wayne Peake, a 30-year-old Perth police officer, received a 10-month community-based order at Midland Magistrates Court on Tuesday for assaulting his five-week-old daughter last month at their Stratton home.
The infant would not settle in her bassinet late at night, prompting Peake to grab her under the armpits and shake her three times before telling her to "shut the f--- up," after which he confessed he "lost his shit."
Defense lawyer Stuart Counsel cited a "traumatic start to parenthood" exacerbated by the baby's colic and reflux following a 40-hour labor, though Magistrate Paul Lyons noted the infant remained physically unaffected by the assault.
Magistrate Lyons refused Peake a spent conviction and ordered him to pay $850 in costs, stating "a message to members of the community that physical violence of this kind is unacceptable" was necessary despite his early plea and remorse.
Suspended from duty and facing "crushing" protective bail conditions, Peake likely faces termination from his police role, as his lawyer warned significant media coverage will make future employment difficult for the former homicide case manager.