R v Zafar [2024] NSWSC 1639

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v Zafar [2024] NSWSC 1639 Hearing dates: 25 November 2024 Date of orders: 19 December 2024 Decision date: 19 December 2024 Jurisdiction: Common Law Before: Sweeney J Decision: 1. Mr Zafar is sentenced to a non-parole period of 16 years imprisonment with the balance of term of 5 years 6 months, making a total sentence of 21 years 6 months imprisonment, to date from 31 March 2022. The non-parole period will expire on 30 March 2038. Catchwords: CRIME — Sentencing — Murder — domestic violence Legislation Cited: Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW) Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007 (NSW) Crimes (High Risk Offenders) Act 2006 (NSW) Cases Cited: Munda v Western Australia (2013) 29 CLR 600; [2013] HCA 38 Texts Cited: Nil Category: Principal judgment Parties: Rex (Crown) Meraj Zafar (Offender) Representation: Counsel: F Gray (Crown) T Hughes (Offender)

Solicitors: Solicitor for Public Prosecutions (NSW) (Crown) Crimcorp Defence Lawyers (Offender) File Number(s): 2022/28539 Publication restriction: Nil

JUDGMENT 1. Meraj Zafar is to be sentenced for the offence of murdering his wife, Armina Hayat, in January 2022. He pleaded guilty to that offence in this court. The offence has a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a standard non-parole period of 20 years imprisonment prescribed. The Crown did not submit that this offence requires the imposition of the maximum penalty. 2. The facts of the offence were agreed between the Crown and Mr Zafar. I summarise them as follows.