A killer has been jailed for 28 years for murdering his ex-girlfriend, Hannah McGuire, and burning her body in a brutal attack in regional Victoria.
Lachlan Young, 23, looked straight ahead as justice James Elliott handed down the sentence in the supreme court in Ballarat on Tuesday.
Young will be eligible for parole after 22 years and four months.
It was eight days into his trial before Young finally admitted he murdered McGuire on 5 April 2024, in a home they owned together at Sebastopol, 120km northwest of Melbourne.
Young told prosecutors they had an argument and he followed McGuire into the bathroom, where he pushed her onto the ground and strangled her. He then shoved her body into the footwell of her Mitsubishi Triton, drove it to remote bushland in Scarsdale and set the vehicle alight.
As he left the scene, Young used McGuire’s phone to send messages to her mother, Debbie, claiming she was going to take her life.
He then transferred $2,000 from McGuire’s bank account to her mother and $5,000 to himself.
Young’s steps to deflect blame and stage the victim’s murder as a suicide were cold and calculated, Elliott said.
“They were utterly disrespectful to the memory of Hannah McGuire,” the judge said.
Elliott said the brutal murder followed months of abusive, intimidatory and domineering behaviour from Young towards McGuire.
She had taken out intervention orders against him and made complaints to the police, but he refused to accept she wanted to separate, the judge said.
“There is no doubt you acted with a sense of entitlement,” he said.
“This is another case of a man using violence and his superior strength to murder a vulnerable woman who trusted him.”
For sentencing purposes, Elliott accepted Young did not hold an intention to kill McGuire when he strangled her, rather he had intended to cause really serious injury.
But he found that did not significantly reduce Young’s moral culpability, nor did his age, troubled upbringing and substance abuse issues.
Elliott accepted he had ultimately pleaded guilty, which warranted some reduction on his sentence, but noted the case still went to trial.
Besides his plea, there was no real evidence of remorse for killing a vulnerable woman who was loved by so many, the judge said.
The level of emotion and heartache you have caused … cannot be overstated,” Elliott said.
“[McGuire] was obviously a very special, warm, talented, giving and thoughtful person who lived her life with the interests of those around her at the forefront.”
Outside court, Debbie McGuire told reporters she was relieved her daughter’s killer had finally been sentenced.
“While nothing can bring back what we’ve lost or erase the pain we continue to carry, today’s outcome is an important step in our journey towards healing,” she said.
“We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our family, friends and the community for their unwavering support over the past 19 months.
“We could not have made it through without any of you.”
-Advertisement-
Grab our latest Magazine, "Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, SAN, A man of wide horizons and deep intentions". Get your order fast and stress free.
For more details about Newswire Law&Events Magazine, kindly reach out to us on 08039218044, 09070309355. Email: newswiremagazine@yahoo.co.uk. You will be glad you did
Download E-MagazineDo you want to be heard, your events covered, your articles published, or need to advertise your products and services on our Blog and Magazine, reach out to us at Newswire Law and Events, you will be glad you did. For more details about our services, please call: 08039218044, 09070309355. Email: newswiremagazine@yahoo.co.uk
