R v Dempsey [2023] NSWSC 205

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v Dempsey [2023] NSWSC 205 Hearing dates: 03 February 2023 Date of orders: 17 March 2023 Decision date: 17 March 2023 Jurisdiction: Common Law - Criminal Before: Hamill J Decision: The offender is sentenced to imprisonment for 19 years and 9 months, with a non-parole period of 14 years and 6 months. Catchwords: CRIMINAL LAW – sentencing – murder – brutal and sustained attack on former domestic partner – culminating in hard blow with hammer or similar weapon to the back of head – victim left in bathtub – whether death by drowning – impact on assessment of objective criminality – victim impact statements – sisters caring for young children of deceased – courage and resilience – relevance of impact on sentence – deterrence – victim entitled to leave area and move to country with children – no mitigation in offender's love for children or fear of losing them – increased need for deterrence in such circumstances – offence in victim's home an aggravating feature – use of weapon – dysfunctional childhood – relevance to sentencing – history provided to psychologist – evidence accepted – reduction in moral culpability – not relevant to objective gravity – mid-range of objective seriousness – appropriate sentence – special circumstances – modest adjustment to non-parole period Legislation Cited: Children (Criminal Proceedings) Act 1987, s 15A Crimes (High Risk Offenders) Act 2006 (NSW), s 25C(1) Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW), Pt 3 Div 2, Table to Pt 4 Div 1A, ss 21A(2)(c), 21A(2)(eb), 21A(2)(k), 21A(3)(i), 30E(3) Cases Cited: Cargnello v Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) [2012] NSWCCA 162; (2012) 224 A Crim R 204 Devaney v R [2012] NSWCCA 285 DH v R [2022] NSWCCA 200 Lechmana v R [2019] NSWCCA 112 Lloyd v R [2022] NSWCCA 18 Munda v Western Australia (2013) 249 CLR 600; [2013] HCA 38 R v Ahmed (No 2) [2023] NSWSC 105 R v Halloun [2014] NSWSC 1705 R v Hamid [2006] NSWCCA; (2006) 164 A Crim R 179 R v Haydar (No 4) [2017] NSWSC 615 R v Hines (No 3) [2014] NSWSC 1273 R v Johnson [2015] NSWSC 31 R v Latu (No 3) [2019] NSWSC 951 R v Lechmana [2010] NSWSC 849 R v Qutami [2001] NSWCCA 353; (2001) 127 A Crim R 369 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Rex (Prosecution) Rodney Dempsey (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: N Marney (Prosecution) T Warr (Defendant)