A Tasmanian man has been jailed for 23 years over what a judge described as an “unnecessary and pointless” knife attack on a suburban street.
Luke Shaw, 34, was found guilty of murder after stabbing David Wayne Jenkins 11 times during a confrontation outside a George Town home in October 2022.
His 35-year-old brother Paul Shaw and friend Patrick Dolbey, 40, were convicted of manslaughter over their roles in the fatal assault.
Sentences were handed down by Supreme Court Justice Michael Brett in Launceston this month.
The court heard Jenkins had armed himself with a baseball bat and walked to the home after receiving a phone call suggesting Shaw’s girlfriend was being abused.
He spent about 20 minutes outside the property yelling threats and demanding Luke Shaw come outside to fight.
Luke Shaw called his brother for backup, claiming multiple people were threatening him. When Paul Shaw and Dolbey arrived, the confrontation escalated.
Paul Shaw wrestled with Jenkins over the bat while Luke Shaw pulled a concealed knife and launched the attack.
Three of the stab wounds to Jenkins’ upper back proved fatal. He died on the footpath before ambulances arrived.
Justice Brett rejected claims Luke Shaw had acted in self-defence.
“Your attack on the deceased was frenzied, sustained and indefensible,” he said.
“You showed absolutely no concern for his welfare afterwards and in fact acted inconsistently with any form of remorse or contrition.”
The judge said Luke Shaw had a “shocking and lengthy criminal history” demonstrating a serious propensity for violence, dating back to the age of 12.
He was on a suspended sentence for family violence offences at the time of the murder.
While Justice Brett acknowledged Jenkins had initiated the confrontation, he said his death was “unnecessary and pointless”.
“The threat he posed to the defendants could have been dealt with safely and effectively without causing significant injury to him or anyone else,” he said.
“Further, there were other ways in which they could have dealt with his aggression … There was certainly no need for him to stab Mr Jenkins to death.”
Paul Shaw was sentenced to four years’ jail and is now eligible for parole. Dolbey received six years, with a four-year non-parole period.
The court heard Dolbey had previously served nine and a half years in prison in Western Australia for a separate stabbing death in 2011.
