Perth man charged for attack on two Finnish tourists

A Perth man has been jailed for more than eight years for attacking two Finnish tourists who were hiking the Bibbulmun Track in July 2018 (see Bibbulmun Track Foundation shocked and saddened by incident out on the Track.)

Matt Whittaker (36) pleaded guilty in February to two charges of doing an act likely to endanger the safety or lives of others.

Finnish couple, Queralt Tobarra and Tuomas Tani, were walking along the track in Paulls Valley close to the start of the Track. The Bibbulmun Track crosses a few roads in this suburban area and unfortunately came out of the bush just as Whittaker was in the vicinity. He ran them down with his ute at a speed of between 60-70kmph, then got out of his vehicle, took a shovel from his ute and attacked them.

The couple eventually managed to overpower Whittaker after Ms Tobarra hit him over the head with the shovel. A passer-by stopped to help and the three of them held Whittaker down until police arrived.

Whittaker is also facing charges of possessing methylamphetamine, an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.