Jacqui Purton killer, James Kenneth Austin, appeals length of jail term
A man who struck and killed a mother of four with a car on a rural property has appealed the severity of his jail term, claiming it is excessive.
James Kenneth Austin, 40, pleaded guilty in June to the manslaughter of Jacqui Purton at Campania in Tasmania.
Austin, who was initially charged with murder, was sentenced to 13 years’ jail with a non-parole period of eight years.
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He tried to divert police away from the home, before calling an ambulance and telling them someone else had been driving and that they had hit an “unidentified person”.
“Your actions were cold blooded, callous and selfish to an extent which is difficult to describe in words,” Supreme Court of Tasmania Justice Michael Brett said during sentencing on July 3.
Austin was controlling and violent towards Ms Purton during their on-and-off relationship and was subject to a family violence order stipulating he not abuse or assault her.
He has appealed the severity of the jail sentence on the ground it was “manifestly excessive”.
A date for a court hearing has yet to be set, with further details of the appeal not provided in court documents.
Ms Purton’s family, who have described her as fun, bold and kind, are pushing for mandatory murder charges for people killed by cars driven by current or ex-partners.
Speaking after the sentencing, Ms Purton’s mother Leanne Walford said the full truth of what went on in her daughter’s relationship wasn’t told in court.
Justice Brett said Austin drove at Ms Purton to scare her and it was a “very serious example” of manslaughter.
It was clearly foreseeable that if she didn’t move out of the way there was a grave risk to the point of certainty Austin would run her over, Justice Brett said.
The court was told Ms Purton went underneath the length of the car and there was no evidence Austin braked before hitting her.
Austin’s sentence was backdated to April 2023, making him eligible for parole in 2031.
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