A NORTH East father has welcomed a review of a defence law that could have protected his son’s killer.
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Graham Howie’s son, Lachlan, was stabbed to death at Chiltern in 2008, his killer’s lawyers pleading for a verdict of defensive homicide.
The law, originally intended for women victims of domestic violence, has been increasingly used as a defence by men.
Yesterday, Mr Howie was pleased the Victorian government announced it was reviewing the law, raising the possibility that it could be scrapped or limited to serious family violence.
“There should be better guidelines, the guidelines are just too weak and it’s just so open to abuse,” he said.
“I believe in defensive homicide, but in a real sense.
“The way it’s been used and abused, it obviously needs tightening up or throwing out.”
A state government report released yesterday shows not one woman has been convicted of defensive homicide since its introduction in 2005.
The 13 people who have been convicted of the offence were mostly men killing other men.
“Rather than operate in the sphere of family violence, these cases have involved one-off, violent confrontations between males of approximately equal strength, reflecting the traditional understanding of self-defence,” the report said.
James Ronald Romero was found guilty of murder after stabbing Lachlan Howie, 16, to death.
He was sentenced to 18 years’ jail, with a non-parole period of 15 years.
Wodonga’s Ricky Doubleday was found guilty of defensive homicide following the death of Scottish migrant, Billy Winter, in July, 2008.
He was given a nine-year jail term with a non-parole period of six years.
As part of his campaign for tougher sentences, Mr Howie will travel to a rally at Parliament House in Melbourne tomorrow.
The rally, organised by the Crime Victims Support Association, will involve victims, supporters and communities fed up with “Mickey Mouse” justice for murderers, rapists, paedophiles and violent thugs.
Mr Howie will carry a sign saying his son’s murder broke his heart, but the court’s sentence destroyed his faith in the justice system.
“For such horrific crimes to only receive such tiny sentences, the judges have not put themselves in our situation or are shamed by their fellow judges to give comparatively low sentences to those given in the past,” Mr Howie said.
“Myself and my son will be going down to be there to support the movement and to represent our cause of inadequate sentencing.
“We hope to achieve something in that line by persistence and common sense.”
