A Tasmanian judge has praised the ‘brave and desperate’ actions of a teenager who intervened to save his mother as her father stabbed her in a brutal crime that took the life of his new partner.
In the Supreme Court of Tasmania on Thursday, Judge Tamara Jago sentenced Kerry Lee Whiting, 47, for the murder of Adrian Mayne and the attempted murder of Natalie Harris, at her home in the Launceston suburb of Ravenswood on 25 November 2021.
Sentencing him to 38 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 24 years, Judge Jago told Whiting the crimes were the result of his “controlling, possessive and jealous attitude”.
“You were not prepared to allow him to move on with his life and you were bothered by Mr Mayne’s presence in your children’s lives, so you decided to kill them,” Judge Jago said.
‘Tragically, you achieved that regarding Mr Mayne, but your plan was thwarted regarding Mrs Harris by the brave and desperate actions of (your 16-year-old son) T, who was awakened by the screams and intervened , dragging her away from her mother.
“That, and the first aid he later provided to his mother, certainly, in my opinion, saved her life.”
Whiting had been abusive and violent during their 20-year relationship, which ended in June 2021, Judge Jago said.
After moving in, Harris met Mayne online and they had been living together for four months with two of the children she shared with Whiting, T and K, then 16 and 14 years old.
Kerry Lee Whiting (pictured) has been sentenced to at least 24 years in prison after being found guilty of attempting to murder his ex-partner and murdering his new wife.
In the weeks before the crime, Whiting made threats to hurt or kill Mr. Mayne, which were heard by the children.
Judge Jago said Whiting cycled to and entered the couple’s home in the early hours of November 25, going to their bedroom with a kitchen knife.
He immediately began stabbing Mr Mayne. “You launched an attack on a vulnerable, defenseless person,” he said.
Mayne tried to protect Harris, throwing himself at her and yelling “don’t stab her,” he said.
‘She got out of bed and you continued stabbing her. At one point, when she was attacking Mrs Harris, she said to him: “Why are you doing this?” You responded by saying “you caused this.”
Her screams woke the children and T rushed to protect her mother.
“Even after your intervention you continued to stab Ms Harris,” Judge Jago said.
He pushed you against the wall and challenged you. She said he would grab the knife and hurt himself if you didn’t drop it.
‘He told you ‘you’re my dad, why are you doing this?’ I never want to see you again.’
‘You responded “oh, it’s not like you’re texting me anyway.”‘
Justice Tamara Jago of the Supreme Court of Tasmania (pictured) praised the bravery of Whiting’s son, who intervened to try to stop his father from killing his mother.
The judge said this evidence indicated Whiting’s callous arrogance and controlling nature.
“It is difficult to imagine a more arrogant and ruthless act,” he said.
Mayne was fatally stabbed 20 times and Harris was stabbed 27 times. She suffered life-threatening injuries and she was in intensive care for six days.
Whiting fled the house and was arrested a week later.
Judge Jago said family violence was an insidious problem that demanded condemnation.
“There is a clear need to denounce violent manifestations of possessive, controlling and jealous behavior after the breakdown of relationships,” he said.
“There can be no tolerance for men who seek to extend their desire for control over relationships in such an extreme and tragic way.”
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