

Savage baton killer jailed in Victoria

A Victorian man fatally bashed his housemate so savagely it shattered his skull and exposed brain because he believed the victim was a pedophile who had gone through his room.
Sean Adrian Marshall admitting killing Thomas Jaafar in their East Gippsland home in March 2018 after accusing the 62-year-old of being a pedophile. The allegation is unproven.
The 35-year-old was also "pissed off" at Mr Jaafar for his behaviour and believed the victim had gone through his room at the Bairnsdale property.
"This was a particularly savage attack," Supreme Court Justice Lex Lasry said during sentencing on Tuesday.
The two men had been drinking with a friend and her son in March 14 when Marshall started yelling at Mr Jaafar, accusing him of being a pedophile who had been snooping in his room.
An argument erupted and Marshall grabbed a wooden baton Mr Jaafar kept for protection and started to beat him with it.
The horrific attack shattered the victim's skull into dozens of pieces, the court was told.

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Investigators who arrived at the scene found blood covering the living room walls and up to 25 bone fragments on the floor. The largest measured 7cm x 5cm.
"This was a thoroughly vicious attack ... that is particularly gruesome in its consequences," Justice Lasry said.
The victim's injuries were "horrific" and the violent attack was completely unprovoked, he said.
The killer had attempted to clean the crime scene and visited friends, admitting he knew Mr Jafaar was dead because he could "see his brain".
He also made an unsuccessful attempt to burn down the house.
After his arrest, Marshall confessed to undercover police officers in his cell that he was responsible for the killing.
Marshall had previously lost two partners, with the mother of his child dying of a drug overdose and another dying during an epileptic seizure.
At the time of the murder he had post-traumatic stress disorder and was using ice daily.
Justice Lasry took into account his drug and mental health issued but said he was guarded about Marshall's prospect of rehabilitation given the seriousness of the crime.
He was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison and will be eligible for release on parole after 17 years.
© AAP 2019

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