A former teenage drag racing champion has been jailed for killing his sister’s abusive boyfriend after he boasted: “You should see what I do to her in the bedroom.”
Newcastle High Court Judge Natalie Adams said on Thursday she could not say whether Tyler King intended to kill Jesse Tattersall and was sentencing him on the basis that he wanted to cause Tattersall grievous bodily harm in the hope that He would never hurt his sister again.
After stabbing Tattersall twice, King told his sister: “No one will hit you again, no one will hurt you again” before stabbing Tattersall a third time.
King, 27, of Budgewoi, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Tattersall, 33, in Hamlyn Terrace on September 8, 2022.
Judge Adams said King claimed, from his perspective, that Tattersall was violently attacking his sister Tenille and that he had to do something.
King, 27, of Budgewoi (pictured), pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Tattersall on September 8, 2022.
The judge noted that King (pictured) had been a talented runner from a loving family.
King (pictured) was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison with a minimum of four years and three months.
“Tenille had told him that she was afraid of the deceased and had asked him to go home to protect her,” the judge said in sentencing King to six years and nine months in prison, with a minimum of four years and three months.
‘After that, the deceased broke into her property through a security gate and immediately began to violently assault her. She was defenseless against this attack.’
When King confronted Tattersall shortly after 8.10pm as he dragged his sister across the living room, Tattersall said: “I’m sorry brother, I’m sorry brother.” I won’t hit her again.’
Father-of-two Tattersall then slammed King’s head against a plaster wall before telling him: “You should see what I do to him in the bedroom.”
King, who had been out on bail for aggravated robbery, grabbed a knife from the kitchen as the couple fought and stabbed Tattersall three times as Tenille tried to separate them.
Tattersall, who earlier that night threatened to kill Tenille after an argument, stumbled out of the house, collapsed and died outside a neighbor’s house.
Judge Adams said it was clear that Tattersall intended to attack Tenille and accepted, to some extent, that King had acted out of fear and panic.
‘At the time of the deceased’s attack on Tenille, the deceased no doubt thought that she was alone in her home and that he could freely attack her. There was no evidence; when he began to physically assault her, he knew Mr. King was present.
“A characteristic of domestic violence crimes is that they often occur at home without witnesses.”
The judge noted that King had been a talented racing driver from a loving family who left school and traveled to the UK to compete professionally at the age of 15 on a one-year contract, but was not as successful as he had hoped.
He returned to Australia, never returned to school and his life spiraled out of control when he became addicted to drugs.
After stabbing Tattersall, King’s then-girlfriend Maddison York, 21, called an Uber and the couple fled the scene before being arrested in Gorokan.
York, who pleaded guilty to being an accessory to murder, was convicted Thursday but allowed to walk free after spending 19 months in prison following her arrest.
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