Man accused of murdering his mother faces court

A 33-year-old man has faced a WA court accused of murdering his mother. (Aaron Bunch/AAP PHOTOS)

A man accused of murdering his mother during a vicious attack has faced court after a police chase that ended with officers tasering him.

Harley James Jeffries, 33, appeared on Tuesday in Armadale Magistrates Court in Western Australia.

He is accused of murdering his 61-year-old mother early on Sunday in a home in the Perth suburb of Byford. 

Police were called to the residence about 7am where they found the woman's body after Jeffries had allegedly fled the scene in a car.

Officers later spotted him travelling about an hour north of Perth on the Great Northern Highway near the town of Bindoon, police said.

The patrol tried to stop Jeffries but he evaded the officers and drove for another 100 kilometres before being brought to a stop with a tyre deflation device in the tiny town of Bindi Bindi about two hours north of Perth.

Jeffries, who was acting aggressively, then challenged police before being tasered and arrested, police said in a statement.

A 12-year-old girl is understood to have witnessed the woman's alleged murder.

Premier Roger Cook described the incident as "a particularly violent and a particularly vicious attack".

"Our hearts go out to that family, but that young girl who actually, at this stage, appears to have witnessed that event must be incredibly traumatised by what she's seen," he told reporters.

"I'm so pleased, and once again, absolutely proud of our police force who have managed to apprehend someone."

Jeffries was remanded in custody to appear in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on July 24 for mention.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

Lifeline 13 11 14

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store