Killer admits dousing man in petrol, setting him alight
Joshua Bainbridge was cutting down trees with his father Colin at a regional Victorian property when he heard yelling.
He rushed over to his 66-year-old father and found disgruntled neighbour Stuart Lee covering him in petrol and setting him alight.
"Seeing my father ignite and scream as he was burned alive is a memory that will never leave my mind," Joshua Bainbridge told the Victorian Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Lee, 65, has pleaded guilty to murdering Colin Bainbridge at the Wheatsheaf property near Daylesford on March 14, 2023.
Mr Bainbridge had been felling trees in his friend's backyard when, without any instigation, Lee yelled at him to "f*** off".
Mr Bainbridge said the same thing in response and Lee rushed off to call the police but five calls to the Daylesford station went unanswered.
His final call was diverted to Bacchus Marsh police who told him to call triple zero if he needed immediate assistance.
Lee told the officer he would go and murder his neighbours if they did not come.
The 65-year-old then went into his shed, poured petrol from a jerry can into a blue bucket and grabbed a lighter from inside the house.
Lee went into the backyard, climbed a fence and poured the petrol over Mr Bainbridge before setting him on fire.
Joshua Bainbridge rushed over and tried to put out the flames with his jumper but was unsuccessful so he retrieved a hose.
His father said "I can't believe this bastard has done me in" as Joshua called triple zero for an ambulance.
Lee also called emergency services but for police attendance, saying he poured petrol on his neighbour because he was trying to defend himself.
Mr Bainbridge was airlifted to The Alfred with burns to 81 per cent of his body and he died in hospital later that evening.
Joshua Bainbridge told the court he was perpetually stuck reliving his father's final day.
"I feel like I'm balancing on a knife edge," he said.
His father was a good man who changed many people's lives for the better, Mr Bainbridge said.
"He was robbed of the last years of his life for nothing," he said.
"The world is a worse place without him in it."
Psychiatrist Andrew Carroll told the court Lee had a personality disorder where he was paranoid, suspicious of others and felt like he was under threat.
Dr Carroll said there was a realistic link between Lee's disorder and his offending, and the 66-year-old had a lack of empathy and shame.
"He has no real sense of guilt because he feels he was justified to do what he had to do," the psychiatrist said.
Lee was not psychotic at the time of the crime and his presentation did not meet a diagnosis of psychopathy, Dr Carroll said.
Lee's lawyer Julia Munster conceded the murder was horrific and warranted a significant jail term.
She will make further submissions on Thursday but Justice Andrew Tinney already flagged he was considering life in prison as a possible sentence.
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
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Bowling club manager accused of orchestrating staged robbery behind bars over DV offences
A FORMER bowling club secretary-manager who denies orchestrating a $200,000 staged robbery after hosting a major poker tournament is behind bars on domestic violence charges. Phillip Andrew Pereira, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges over what detectives say was an inside job to hold up the Hamilton North Bowling Club in December. Pereira had been on bail since his arrest in February, but last week in Maitland Local Court was taken behind bars after prosecutors made a successful detention application. Pereira's lawyers had fought off a similar application in March after he had been charged with a domestic violence-related stalking and entering inclosed lands. Last week he was arrested and charged again with breaching an apprehended violence order and common assault and had his bail revoked, Magistrate Ian Rodgers finding Pereira had breached his bail by committing further offences. Pereira has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, including the fresh domestic violence offences, and will face hearings in August and September. The charges relating to the staged robbery at the bowling club are back in court next week to get a hearing date. The development in Pereira's case comes after two other men - former club functions manager Jamie Lee and "armed robber" John William Tutt - were sentenced for their roles in the plot to steal $218,000 from the club in the early hours of December 30, the morning after the club hosted a major Australian Poker League tournament. The Newcastle Herald reported in May that what started out as a joke, an "off-the-cuff remark", a few months earlier about the club being robbed of the poker tournament proceeds became a reality for Lee when Tutt buzzed at the roller door about 4am. "It's Phil," came the voice over the intercom and Lee opened the door to find Tutt dressed in black and holding a knife. Tutt quickly put the blade away when he saw it was Lee and explained he was there for the money in the safe. "I don't want this to happen," Lee, 45, said, according to court documents. "It's gotta happen. It needs to happen," Tutt replied. After some discussion, Lee agreed to let Tutt take the money and Tutt then cut the cables to the CCTV hard drives and stuffed them and the cash into a bag before tying Lee up to make it look like a hold-up. Tutt then drove away and later photographed some of the bundles of cash in his car, including one picture where his shorts and a bandage on his leg were visible. Lee was found by another staff member tied up in the office about 5am. He was untied, said he had been assaulted and robbed and the police were called. Lee was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment. The State Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crime Squad launched an investigation into the robbery, but that soon shifted focus to an inside job when police examined phone records. On January 17, a few weeks after the staged robbery, Lee went to Newcastle police station and made a 13-page statement that he now admits was a fabricated story about being the victim of a hold-up. In February, detectives revealed they believed the robbery had been staged and arrested Lee, Tutt and Pereira in a series of raids. Tutt and Lee later pleaded guilty and late last month Tutt was jailed for a maximum of 16 months, with a non-parole period of six months, while Lee escaped a jail term and was placed on a 12-month intensive corrections order with 40 hours of community service. A FORMER bowling club secretary-manager who denies orchestrating a $200,000 staged robbery after hosting a major poker tournament is behind bars on domestic violence charges. Phillip Andrew Pereira, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges over what detectives say was an inside job to hold up the Hamilton North Bowling Club in December. Pereira had been on bail since his arrest in February, but last week in Maitland Local Court was taken behind bars after prosecutors made a successful detention application. Pereira's lawyers had fought off a similar application in March after he had been charged with a domestic violence-related stalking and entering inclosed lands. Last week he was arrested and charged again with breaching an apprehended violence order and common assault and had his bail revoked, Magistrate Ian Rodgers finding Pereira had breached his bail by committing further offences. Pereira has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, including the fresh domestic violence offences, and will face hearings in August and September. The charges relating to the staged robbery at the bowling club are back in court next week to get a hearing date. The development in Pereira's case comes after two other men - former club functions manager Jamie Lee and "armed robber" John William Tutt - were sentenced for their roles in the plot to steal $218,000 from the club in the early hours of December 30, the morning after the club hosted a major Australian Poker League tournament. The Newcastle Herald reported in May that what started out as a joke, an "off-the-cuff remark", a few months earlier about the club being robbed of the poker tournament proceeds became a reality for Lee when Tutt buzzed at the roller door about 4am. "It's Phil," came the voice over the intercom and Lee opened the door to find Tutt dressed in black and holding a knife. Tutt quickly put the blade away when he saw it was Lee and explained he was there for the money in the safe. "I don't want this to happen," Lee, 45, said, according to court documents. "It's gotta happen. It needs to happen," Tutt replied. After some discussion, Lee agreed to let Tutt take the money and Tutt then cut the cables to the CCTV hard drives and stuffed them and the cash into a bag before tying Lee up to make it look like a hold-up. Tutt then drove away and later photographed some of the bundles of cash in his car, including one picture where his shorts and a bandage on his leg were visible. Lee was found by another staff member tied up in the office about 5am. He was untied, said he had been assaulted and robbed and the police were called. Lee was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment. The State Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crime Squad launched an investigation into the robbery, but that soon shifted focus to an inside job when police examined phone records. On January 17, a few weeks after the staged robbery, Lee went to Newcastle police station and made a 13-page statement that he now admits was a fabricated story about being the victim of a hold-up. In February, detectives revealed they believed the robbery had been staged and arrested Lee, Tutt and Pereira in a series of raids. Tutt and Lee later pleaded guilty and late last month Tutt was jailed for a maximum of 16 months, with a non-parole period of six months, while Lee escaped a jail term and was placed on a 12-month intensive corrections order with 40 hours of community service. A FORMER bowling club secretary-manager who denies orchestrating a $200,000 staged robbery after hosting a major poker tournament is behind bars on domestic violence charges. Phillip Andrew Pereira, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges over what detectives say was an inside job to hold up the Hamilton North Bowling Club in December. Pereira had been on bail since his arrest in February, but last week in Maitland Local Court was taken behind bars after prosecutors made a successful detention application. Pereira's lawyers had fought off a similar application in March after he had been charged with a domestic violence-related stalking and entering inclosed lands. Last week he was arrested and charged again with breaching an apprehended violence order and common assault and had his bail revoked, Magistrate Ian Rodgers finding Pereira had breached his bail by committing further offences. Pereira has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, including the fresh domestic violence offences, and will face hearings in August and September. The charges relating to the staged robbery at the bowling club are back in court next week to get a hearing date. The development in Pereira's case comes after two other men - former club functions manager Jamie Lee and "armed robber" John William Tutt - were sentenced for their roles in the plot to steal $218,000 from the club in the early hours of December 30, the morning after the club hosted a major Australian Poker League tournament. The Newcastle Herald reported in May that what started out as a joke, an "off-the-cuff remark", a few months earlier about the club being robbed of the poker tournament proceeds became a reality for Lee when Tutt buzzed at the roller door about 4am. "It's Phil," came the voice over the intercom and Lee opened the door to find Tutt dressed in black and holding a knife. Tutt quickly put the blade away when he saw it was Lee and explained he was there for the money in the safe. "I don't want this to happen," Lee, 45, said, according to court documents. "It's gotta happen. It needs to happen," Tutt replied. After some discussion, Lee agreed to let Tutt take the money and Tutt then cut the cables to the CCTV hard drives and stuffed them and the cash into a bag before tying Lee up to make it look like a hold-up. Tutt then drove away and later photographed some of the bundles of cash in his car, including one picture where his shorts and a bandage on his leg were visible. Lee was found by another staff member tied up in the office about 5am. He was untied, said he had been assaulted and robbed and the police were called. Lee was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment. The State Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crime Squad launched an investigation into the robbery, but that soon shifted focus to an inside job when police examined phone records. On January 17, a few weeks after the staged robbery, Lee went to Newcastle police station and made a 13-page statement that he now admits was a fabricated story about being the victim of a hold-up. In February, detectives revealed they believed the robbery had been staged and arrested Lee, Tutt and Pereira in a series of raids. Tutt and Lee later pleaded guilty and late last month Tutt was jailed for a maximum of 16 months, with a non-parole period of six months, while Lee escaped a jail term and was placed on a 12-month intensive corrections order with 40 hours of community service. A FORMER bowling club secretary-manager who denies orchestrating a $200,000 staged robbery after hosting a major poker tournament is behind bars on domestic violence charges. Phillip Andrew Pereira, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges over what detectives say was an inside job to hold up the Hamilton North Bowling Club in December. Pereira had been on bail since his arrest in February, but last week in Maitland Local Court was taken behind bars after prosecutors made a successful detention application. Pereira's lawyers had fought off a similar application in March after he had been charged with a domestic violence-related stalking and entering inclosed lands. Last week he was arrested and charged again with breaching an apprehended violence order and common assault and had his bail revoked, Magistrate Ian Rodgers finding Pereira had breached his bail by committing further offences. Pereira has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, including the fresh domestic violence offences, and will face hearings in August and September. The charges relating to the staged robbery at the bowling club are back in court next week to get a hearing date. The development in Pereira's case comes after two other men - former club functions manager Jamie Lee and "armed robber" John William Tutt - were sentenced for their roles in the plot to steal $218,000 from the club in the early hours of December 30, the morning after the club hosted a major Australian Poker League tournament. The Newcastle Herald reported in May that what started out as a joke, an "off-the-cuff remark", a few months earlier about the club being robbed of the poker tournament proceeds became a reality for Lee when Tutt buzzed at the roller door about 4am. "It's Phil," came the voice over the intercom and Lee opened the door to find Tutt dressed in black and holding a knife. Tutt quickly put the blade away when he saw it was Lee and explained he was there for the money in the safe. "I don't want this to happen," Lee, 45, said, according to court documents. "It's gotta happen. It needs to happen," Tutt replied. After some discussion, Lee agreed to let Tutt take the money and Tutt then cut the cables to the CCTV hard drives and stuffed them and the cash into a bag before tying Lee up to make it look like a hold-up. Tutt then drove away and later photographed some of the bundles of cash in his car, including one picture where his shorts and a bandage on his leg were visible. Lee was found by another staff member tied up in the office about 5am. He was untied, said he had been assaulted and robbed and the police were called. Lee was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment. The State Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crime Squad launched an investigation into the robbery, but that soon shifted focus to an inside job when police examined phone records. On January 17, a few weeks after the staged robbery, Lee went to Newcastle police station and made a 13-page statement that he now admits was a fabricated story about being the victim of a hold-up. In February, detectives revealed they believed the robbery had been staged and arrested Lee, Tutt and Pereira in a series of raids. Tutt and Lee later pleaded guilty and late last month Tutt was jailed for a maximum of 16 months, with a non-parole period of six months, while Lee escaped a jail term and was placed on a 12-month intensive corrections order with 40 hours of community service.
West Australian
16 hours ago
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‘Weekly basis': Lawyer reveals why young people are still carrying knives, despite harsher laws
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Perth Now
16 hours ago
- Perth Now
Confronting reason teens carrying knives
Harsher penalties will do little to curb the spike in youth knife crime unless the underlying reasons why they are being carried are addressed, a leading criminal lawyer has declared. Astor Legal principal lawyer Avinash Singh said he deals with people charged with knife offences on a weekly basis, with many also involved in the illegal drug trade. 'We have represented a number of minors accused of carrying knives – generally from lower socio-economic areas carrying knives for self-defence,' Mr Singh told NewsWire. Youth and those involved in the drug trade are some of the most common offenders in regard to knife crime. NSW Police Credit: Supplied 'Unfortunately, a lot of these young people have been assaulted and/or threatened themselves. 'They feel that reporting the matter to police after the fact will do them little good, particularly if they are seriously injured or even killed,' he said. 'As such, they often feel that they have to carry a knife to protect themselves.' The hard truth then, is that harsher crimes may not reduce offending, or make the community any safer, Mr Singh said. Mr Singh said tougher laws are unlikely to significantly reduce crime, as youth offenders from low-socio-economic backgrounds often carry knives as a form of self defence out of fear and mistrust with police. Credit: Supplied 'While it is understandable that governments and the community demand tougher laws to combat knife crime, this is unlikely to do much to reduce it in my opinion,' he said. 'People who carry knives are unlikely to stop just because of increased penalties. 'Research has found that they stop when they are no longer exposed to an environment where carrying a knife is seen as a necessity,' he said. 'This means addressing these communities by providing resources, programs and funding to prevent the issue – something governments have continuously failed to do.' The Victorian Allan Government announced in May it will be introducing laws to ban the sale and possession of machetes following an alleged spate of machete assaults. From September 1, those carrying a 'controlled weapon' or knife in Victoria will face up to two years imprisonment or a fine of $30,700. 'In Victoria, community safety comes first. We must never let places we meet become places we fear,' Premier Jacinta Allan said. 'I hate these knives, and I will keep introducing as many laws as it takes to get them off our streets, out of our shops and out of our lives.' More needs to be done to address the root cause of the problem in order to protect community safety and prevent youth crime, Mr Singh asserts. NewsWire / Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Singh said he has seen more, not less, people appearing in court over knife offences. NewsWire / Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia Those found guilty in NSW face four years imprisonment fines up to $4,400. Mr Singh said he feared 'the expanded search powers will disproportionately be used against young people from lower socio-economic areas'. 'This leads to distrust of police and can in fact have the opposite effect – that is, young people keep knives but simply avoid police and are less likely to report crimes'. He said this is already seen in the rising amount of NSW youth caught up in the criminal system following legislation changes and bail reform. 'The strictest knife crime laws at present are in NSW. While the laws have only recently been introduced, there has been a noticeable increase in the courts seeing knife offences,' Mr Singh said. 'This, along with recent Bail Act reforms in NSW, has led to a marked increase in children being refused bail and held in custody, which does nothing to address their behaviour or promote rehabilitation of offenders.'
