The Examiner's Joe Colebrook summarises the jury's findings following the trial of Kerry Lee Whiting. Footage by Paul Scambler
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00:00Murderer Kerry Lee Whiting will spend decades behind bars after a Supreme Court judge described
00:06his actions as simply cowardly.
00:09I'm Joe Colbrook, standing outside the Supreme Court in Launceston where earlier today Justice
00:14Tamara Jago sentenced Whiting to 38 years imprisonment for murder and attempted murder.
00:20She described the 2021 knife attack on his ex-partner Natalie Joyce Harris and her new
00:25boyfriend Adrian Paul Mayne as a cowardly act that was a consequence of his jealous
00:30and controlling attitude.
00:32Whiting, a 47-year-old former Waverley resident, broke into Miss Harris' house in the early
00:38hours of November 25th, 2021.
00:42He entered the home with what Justice Jago said was a firm intention to kill the couple
00:47as they slept, in retribution for Miss Harris breaking up with him and striking up a relationship
00:52with Mr Mayne.
00:54He began stabbing Mr Mayne with a knife, striking him 20 times before he died, and
00:59also turned the weapon on Miss Harris.
01:02Whiting struck her 27 times, and may have killed her as well if it wasn't for an intervention
01:08by her teenage son, who she previously raised with Mr Whiting.
01:14Justice Jago praised the young man's bravery and stoicism, directly contrasting it with
01:18the actions of his father, which left his victim's lives irretrievably damaged.
01:22She said there could be no tolerance for men like Whiting, who seek to extend their
01:26want for control over their partner's lives by committing family violence, which the crimes
01:31clearly were.
01:33Justice Jago said the lengthy jail sentence, which carried a non-parole period of 24 years
01:37and was backdated to his arrest on December 2nd, 2021, was the only appropriate punishment.