Tasmanian father who tried to kill his wife and two boys is jailed
A father will spend 17 years behind bars after attempting to murder his estranged wife and two young boys on their wedding anniversary.
Damian Leslie Harper, 48, attempted to kill the trio at his in-laws’ home in Cuprona, in Tasmania’s northwest region, in January 2019.
Harper was armed with a box cutter, knife and cricket bat and traveled nearly 175 miles to carry out the attack.
He was found guilty of three counts of attempted murder, one count of wounding and aggravated burglary at the Supreme Court in February.
Harper was sentenced Wednesday for the horrific crimes, with Judge Tamara Jago calling the attack “an act of the utmost cruelty.”
A father will spend 17 years behind bars after attempting to murder his estranged wife and two young boys on their wedding anniversary.
Harper had convinced himself that his wife had been unfaithful to him during a work trip, an accusation she vigorously denied.
The 48-year-old man decided to take revenge by attempting to murder his two children.
Harper drove from Bridgewater in southern Tasmania to Cuprona in the state’s far north.
The 48-year-old broke into his former in-laws’ home, where his wife and children lived, early in the morning.
He then slit his four-year-old son’s throat, narrowly missing the carotid artery and jugular vein and avoiding serious injury.
Harper then told her six-year-old son, who was sleeping on the top bunk, to come closer, before both children screamed.
Their mother rushed and snatched Harper from a boy before he turned on her and stabbed her in the back and the back of the head.
“I’m going to kill you, you ‘f*****g’ bitch,” he said during the altercation.
His wife’s parents arrived on the scene to help their daughter.
The children’s grandfather tried to stop Harper, while their grandmother led the boys away from the terrifying scene.
The grandfather suffered serious stomach injuries after he managed to convince Harper to give him the knife.
Harper then took the blade from his stepfather and attempted to slit his own throat.
Judge Tamara Jago described the attempted premeditated murder as an act of “the greatest cruelty”.
“The accused has shown no remorse for his behavior, he has taken no responsibility for what happened,” Judge Jago said.
“He continually blames his wife for what happened.”
Damian Leslie Harper, 48, attempted to kill the trio at his in-laws’ home in Cuprona, in Tasmania’s northwest region, in January 2019 (pictured, a street in Cuprona)
Judge Jago said Harper intended “to inflict unbearable pain and anguish” on his wife by planning the murder of his children.
She said Harper’s wife and four-year-old son had to undergo neck surgery after both men were seriously injured.
Judge Jago said experts found Harper suffered from a personality disorder but was obsessed with his wife’s loyalty to him.
He will be eligible for parole in January 2030.
