REGINA v William Harold MATHESON [2006] NSWSC 332

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : REGINA v William Harold MATHESON [2006] NSWSC 332 This decision has been amended. Please see the end of the judgment for a list of the amendments.

HEARING DATE(S) : 16/11/05. 17/11/05, 18/11/05, 21/11/05, 22/11/05, 23/11/05, 24/11/05, 25/11/05, 28/11/05, 29/11/05, 30/1105, 11/2/ 05, 2/12.05, 5/12/05, 6/12/05, 7/12/05, 8/12/05, 9/12/05, 6/2/06, 10/3/06.

JUDGMENT DATE : 28 April 2006

JURISDICTION : Common Law

JUDGMENT OF : Mathews AJ at 1

DECISION : Sentenced to a non-parole period of eighteen years to commence on 19 May 2004 and to expire on 18 May 2022. The balance of the term of imprisonment is nine years, expiring on 18 May 2031, making a total sentence of twenty-seven years.

CATCHWORDS : CRIMINAL LAW - Sentence - Murder

LEGISLATION CITED : Crimes Sentencing Procedure Act 1999

PARTIES : Regina - Crown, William Harold MATHESON - Offender

FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 2005/762

COUNSEL : Crown: Ms M Cunneen Offender: Ms L Flannery

SOLICITORS : Crown: S C Kavanagh Offender: Ms J Harris LAC

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : Local Court

LOWER COURT FILE NUMBER(S) : H 21311942/1

LOWER COURT JUDICIAL OFFICER : A D MOORE

LOWER COURT DATE OF DECISION : 04/27/2005

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES COMMON LAW DIVISION CRIMINAL LIST

ACTING JUSTICE MATHEWS

28 April, 2006

2005/762 REGINA v William Harold MATHESON

SENTENCE 1 HER HONOUR: On 16 November 2005 an indictment was presented against William Matheson charging him with the murder of Lyndsay Van Blanken on 24 November 2003. He pleaded not guilty to this charge and a jury was duly empanelled. On 9 December 2005 the jury found him guilty as charged. The matter was then stood over for submissions on sentence. 2 The story behind this trial is quite an extraordinary one, involving great tragedy to a number of people. 3 Lyndsay Van Blanken was born on 26 August 1985. She was a little over eighteen years old when she met her death in November 2003. She was described as shy and introverted, but she was also a very kindly affectionate girl, with considerable humour and flair. She also had great artistic talent. In mid 2003 she was one of a very small number of people who were accepted as apprentice animators at Disney Toons from amongst a large number of applicants.