Susan Iramiyan will never forget her daughter or the agonizing wait to find her remains after she was brutally murdered by a volatile and abusive lover.
Mayraum Hamka disappeared without a trace after making a trip to her local Woolworths in April 2021.
The 36-year-old woman’s family lived in hope she would be found alive for almost two and a half years before her then-boyfriend Toby Peter Loughnane led police to her remains in a shallow grave in nearby bushland.
The 44-year-old confessed that he had disposed of Ms Hamka’s body, but maintained that he did not kill her and that she had died of an accidental drug overdose.
However, he was found guilty of murdering her after a three-week trial earlier this year before appearing at a pre-sentence hearing in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Friday afternoon.
Loughnane seemed disinterested in the proceedings as he leaned back in his chair and looked around the large courtroom during his appearance.
Her lawyer, Daniel Sala, told the court that Loughnane maintained she was innocent of murder and that Hamka died as a result of a drug overdose.
Maryam Hamka disappeared after a trip to the local supermarket in April 2021
Her mother Susan Iramiyan lived in hope that she would be found alive for almost two years.
Prosecutors argued he died as a result of a drug-fueled assault with “murderous intent” in the early hours of April 11, 2021, before Loughnane moved in and buried his body days later.
But due to the state in which his body was found, no mechanism of death could be established.
Prosecutor Kristie Churchill said there was ample evidence to find the couple had a “brief romantic relationship characterized by control, violence and abuse.”
The court was told that in the 12 months before her murder, Loughnane had sent “highly abusive and threatening” text messages to Ms Hamka.
“It is a more serious example of murder because it occurs in a context of violence and threats,” Ms Churchill said.
“He violently killed her on the night in question and…tried to cover up his involvement in her murder through extreme actions.”
But Churchill said the prosecution was not asking for a life sentence.
Hamka’s ex-boyfriend, Toby Loughnane, has been found guilty of her murder.
Ms Hamka was last seen on CCTV leaving a Woolworths supermarket in Brunswick on April 10, and was reported missing by her family days later.
In a statement to the court, her mother, Susan Iramiyan, said her daughter had “a lot of love for life.”
‘I feel guilty even enjoying life; I am hurt, angry and numb. “Every day I think about the pain my daughter went through and it breaks my heart again,” she said.
Iramiyan said she had left the home they once shared because the memories were too painful and she dreamed of her daughter screaming for help.
“We were waiting two long years to bring her home with us,” he wrote.
“There are no words that can explain the pain and suffering… I would never wish it on anyone.”
Her brother said that while no sentence would bring his sister back, he had “intense hopes” that holding Loughnane accountable for her actions would bring a little closure.
Ms Hamka was captured on CCTV leaving a Woolworths supermarket in Brunswick city center on April 10, 2021. It was the last time she was seen alive.
At trial, Loughnane claimed that Hamka died of a drug overdose at his Brighton home and that he panicked and disposed of her body for fear of being unfairly blamed.
He denied murdering Ms Hamka and offered to plead guilty to the lesser charge of negligent homicide.
On Friday, Sala revealed that Loughnane had offered to plead guilty to manslaughter before the March trial, but was rejected by the prosecution.
“He had been violent and as a result of that violence she died,” the lawyer said of the offer, which was not presented to the jury.
Loughnane admitted dumping his girlfriend’s body, but continues to maintain he did not kill her
Sala told the court that his client was the eldest of three brothers and had a good childhood, but had fallen into drugs and poor groups after his father’s death.
Ms Hamka’s body was found covered in lime in isolated woodland at Cape Schnack on the Mornington Peninsula after Loughnane led police to the area in August 2023.
Her legal team explained the skull fracture as a result of being dragged through undergrowth and not as evidence of a violent attack at trial.
Judge Christopher Beale told the court it appeared the revelation was “self-serving” rather than evidence of remorse, as Loughnane knew a former friend, Oscar Newman, had come forward to police with information.
Hamka’s family (pictured) say they will never be able to recover from his tragic death.
“I’m not convinced of any remorse at this point,” he said.
“In a case like this, it’s been over two years and it only happened after Oscar Newman implicated his client.”
But Judge Beale said Loughnane would receive a discounted sentence for leading police to her remains because there is “real value” in encouraging others to help police in this way.
Loughnane will be sentenced on December 18.