Latest news with #NewcastleLocalCourt
The Advertiser
09-07-2025
- The Advertiser
Gunman pleads guilty to murder over home invasion shooting of Zachery Davies-Scott
A GUNMAN who executed Zachary Davies-Scott in front of his family during a home invasion at Heddon Greta in 2022 has pleaded guilty to murder. Gino Ricardo Delpiero, 26, was represented by solicitor Katie Case when he appeared in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday via audio visual link from Mid North Coast Correctional Centre. Mr Davies-Scott's family and Homicide Squad detectives were in court to watch as Delpiero became the first person to plead guilty to murder over the 25-year-old's death. Mr Davies-Scott, known to many as Donnie, was shot dead in his home in Traders Way about 10.50pm on December 27, 2022. Detectives have been told a group of people forced their way into the home and executed Mr Davies-Scott in what is alleged to have been a "home invasion gone wrong". Delpiero claimed he had "no intention to kill or inflict grievous bodily harm on the unfortunate victim", but acknowledged he was guilty of murder on the basis that he had participated in an armed robbery during which Mr Davies-Scott had died, the court heard. A 52-year-old woman also sustained minor injuries after attempting to fight off the alleged intruders. Other family members home at the time - including two children, aged two and four, and Mr Davies-Scott's pregnant partner - witnessed the shooting, but were uninjured, police have said. The group fled the scene in a white SUV, and detectives in February, 2023 seized a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander at Boolaroo. Homicide Squad detectives under Strike Force Roslyn have since arrested and charged five people over Mr Davies-Scott's death, including charging four men with murder and a woman with hindering the investigation. Two of the men - Talon Dean and Jarryd Nickerson - were arrested and charged within the space of a few days in October and November 2023, while Delpiero was arrested at Elermore Vale in January, 2024. Dean and Nickerson were also expected to enter pleas in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday, but both matters were adjourned. Lawyers for Dean indicated he would likely be committed for sentence when the matter returned to court on July 23. Nickerson's matter was adjourned to July 30 when he is also expected to enter a plea. A fourth man, 45-year-old Mathew Robert Houghton, was arrested earlier this year and charged with murder, detectives alleging he was part of a joint criminal enterprise to murder Mr Davies-Scott, assisting the group before and after the home invasion. It had been nearly two-and-a-half years after the alleged murder and more than a year after the last of the accused killers were charged when detectives raided a house at Lambton on May 15 and arrested the 45-year-old. During the search, police allegedly seized a replica pistol, knuckle dusters, prohibited drugs and a stolen vehicle. Houghton's matter was also mentioned in court on Wednesday, when detectives revealed they had served a brief of evidence in the case. He has not entered any pleas and the matter was adjourned to September 17 for prosecutors to finalise the charges against Houghton. A fifth person, Sarah Jane Stackman, pleaded guilty to hindering the investigation into Mr Davies-Scott's murder and was last year ordered to serve a 15-month home detention order. Stackman, acting out of loyalty to Nickerson, who the court heard was her "on-and-off-again partner", had admitted to lying to police and hiding potential evidence from investigators. The court heard Stackman had moved Mr Nickerson's clothing, instructed others to help remove clues that he had been at her house and deleted possible evidence from her phone between June 2023 and when she was arrested in January 2024. A GUNMAN who executed Zachary Davies-Scott in front of his family during a home invasion at Heddon Greta in 2022 has pleaded guilty to murder. Gino Ricardo Delpiero, 26, was represented by solicitor Katie Case when he appeared in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday via audio visual link from Mid North Coast Correctional Centre. Mr Davies-Scott's family and Homicide Squad detectives were in court to watch as Delpiero became the first person to plead guilty to murder over the 25-year-old's death. Mr Davies-Scott, known to many as Donnie, was shot dead in his home in Traders Way about 10.50pm on December 27, 2022. Detectives have been told a group of people forced their way into the home and executed Mr Davies-Scott in what is alleged to have been a "home invasion gone wrong". Delpiero claimed he had "no intention to kill or inflict grievous bodily harm on the unfortunate victim", but acknowledged he was guilty of murder on the basis that he had participated in an armed robbery during which Mr Davies-Scott had died, the court heard. A 52-year-old woman also sustained minor injuries after attempting to fight off the alleged intruders. Other family members home at the time - including two children, aged two and four, and Mr Davies-Scott's pregnant partner - witnessed the shooting, but were uninjured, police have said. The group fled the scene in a white SUV, and detectives in February, 2023 seized a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander at Boolaroo. Homicide Squad detectives under Strike Force Roslyn have since arrested and charged five people over Mr Davies-Scott's death, including charging four men with murder and a woman with hindering the investigation. Two of the men - Talon Dean and Jarryd Nickerson - were arrested and charged within the space of a few days in October and November 2023, while Delpiero was arrested at Elermore Vale in January, 2024. Dean and Nickerson were also expected to enter pleas in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday, but both matters were adjourned. Lawyers for Dean indicated he would likely be committed for sentence when the matter returned to court on July 23. Nickerson's matter was adjourned to July 30 when he is also expected to enter a plea. A fourth man, 45-year-old Mathew Robert Houghton, was arrested earlier this year and charged with murder, detectives alleging he was part of a joint criminal enterprise to murder Mr Davies-Scott, assisting the group before and after the home invasion. It had been nearly two-and-a-half years after the alleged murder and more than a year after the last of the accused killers were charged when detectives raided a house at Lambton on May 15 and arrested the 45-year-old. During the search, police allegedly seized a replica pistol, knuckle dusters, prohibited drugs and a stolen vehicle. Houghton's matter was also mentioned in court on Wednesday, when detectives revealed they had served a brief of evidence in the case. He has not entered any pleas and the matter was adjourned to September 17 for prosecutors to finalise the charges against Houghton. A fifth person, Sarah Jane Stackman, pleaded guilty to hindering the investigation into Mr Davies-Scott's murder and was last year ordered to serve a 15-month home detention order. Stackman, acting out of loyalty to Nickerson, who the court heard was her "on-and-off-again partner", had admitted to lying to police and hiding potential evidence from investigators. The court heard Stackman had moved Mr Nickerson's clothing, instructed others to help remove clues that he had been at her house and deleted possible evidence from her phone between June 2023 and when she was arrested in January 2024. A GUNMAN who executed Zachary Davies-Scott in front of his family during a home invasion at Heddon Greta in 2022 has pleaded guilty to murder. Gino Ricardo Delpiero, 26, was represented by solicitor Katie Case when he appeared in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday via audio visual link from Mid North Coast Correctional Centre. Mr Davies-Scott's family and Homicide Squad detectives were in court to watch as Delpiero became the first person to plead guilty to murder over the 25-year-old's death. Mr Davies-Scott, known to many as Donnie, was shot dead in his home in Traders Way about 10.50pm on December 27, 2022. Detectives have been told a group of people forced their way into the home and executed Mr Davies-Scott in what is alleged to have been a "home invasion gone wrong". Delpiero claimed he had "no intention to kill or inflict grievous bodily harm on the unfortunate victim", but acknowledged he was guilty of murder on the basis that he had participated in an armed robbery during which Mr Davies-Scott had died, the court heard. A 52-year-old woman also sustained minor injuries after attempting to fight off the alleged intruders. Other family members home at the time - including two children, aged two and four, and Mr Davies-Scott's pregnant partner - witnessed the shooting, but were uninjured, police have said. The group fled the scene in a white SUV, and detectives in February, 2023 seized a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander at Boolaroo. Homicide Squad detectives under Strike Force Roslyn have since arrested and charged five people over Mr Davies-Scott's death, including charging four men with murder and a woman with hindering the investigation. Two of the men - Talon Dean and Jarryd Nickerson - were arrested and charged within the space of a few days in October and November 2023, while Delpiero was arrested at Elermore Vale in January, 2024. Dean and Nickerson were also expected to enter pleas in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday, but both matters were adjourned. Lawyers for Dean indicated he would likely be committed for sentence when the matter returned to court on July 23. Nickerson's matter was adjourned to July 30 when he is also expected to enter a plea. A fourth man, 45-year-old Mathew Robert Houghton, was arrested earlier this year and charged with murder, detectives alleging he was part of a joint criminal enterprise to murder Mr Davies-Scott, assisting the group before and after the home invasion. It had been nearly two-and-a-half years after the alleged murder and more than a year after the last of the accused killers were charged when detectives raided a house at Lambton on May 15 and arrested the 45-year-old. During the search, police allegedly seized a replica pistol, knuckle dusters, prohibited drugs and a stolen vehicle. Houghton's matter was also mentioned in court on Wednesday, when detectives revealed they had served a brief of evidence in the case. He has not entered any pleas and the matter was adjourned to September 17 for prosecutors to finalise the charges against Houghton. A fifth person, Sarah Jane Stackman, pleaded guilty to hindering the investigation into Mr Davies-Scott's murder and was last year ordered to serve a 15-month home detention order. Stackman, acting out of loyalty to Nickerson, who the court heard was her "on-and-off-again partner", had admitted to lying to police and hiding potential evidence from investigators. The court heard Stackman had moved Mr Nickerson's clothing, instructed others to help remove clues that he had been at her house and deleted possible evidence from her phone between June 2023 and when she was arrested in January 2024. A GUNMAN who executed Zachary Davies-Scott in front of his family during a home invasion at Heddon Greta in 2022 has pleaded guilty to murder. Gino Ricardo Delpiero, 26, was represented by solicitor Katie Case when he appeared in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday via audio visual link from Mid North Coast Correctional Centre. Mr Davies-Scott's family and Homicide Squad detectives were in court to watch as Delpiero became the first person to plead guilty to murder over the 25-year-old's death. Mr Davies-Scott, known to many as Donnie, was shot dead in his home in Traders Way about 10.50pm on December 27, 2022. Detectives have been told a group of people forced their way into the home and executed Mr Davies-Scott in what is alleged to have been a "home invasion gone wrong". Delpiero claimed he had "no intention to kill or inflict grievous bodily harm on the unfortunate victim", but acknowledged he was guilty of murder on the basis that he had participated in an armed robbery during which Mr Davies-Scott had died, the court heard. A 52-year-old woman also sustained minor injuries after attempting to fight off the alleged intruders. Other family members home at the time - including two children, aged two and four, and Mr Davies-Scott's pregnant partner - witnessed the shooting, but were uninjured, police have said. The group fled the scene in a white SUV, and detectives in February, 2023 seized a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander at Boolaroo. Homicide Squad detectives under Strike Force Roslyn have since arrested and charged five people over Mr Davies-Scott's death, including charging four men with murder and a woman with hindering the investigation. Two of the men - Talon Dean and Jarryd Nickerson - were arrested and charged within the space of a few days in October and November 2023, while Delpiero was arrested at Elermore Vale in January, 2024. Dean and Nickerson were also expected to enter pleas in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday, but both matters were adjourned. Lawyers for Dean indicated he would likely be committed for sentence when the matter returned to court on July 23. Nickerson's matter was adjourned to July 30 when he is also expected to enter a plea. A fourth man, 45-year-old Mathew Robert Houghton, was arrested earlier this year and charged with murder, detectives alleging he was part of a joint criminal enterprise to murder Mr Davies-Scott, assisting the group before and after the home invasion. It had been nearly two-and-a-half years after the alleged murder and more than a year after the last of the accused killers were charged when detectives raided a house at Lambton on May 15 and arrested the 45-year-old. During the search, police allegedly seized a replica pistol, knuckle dusters, prohibited drugs and a stolen vehicle. Houghton's matter was also mentioned in court on Wednesday, when detectives revealed they had served a brief of evidence in the case. He has not entered any pleas and the matter was adjourned to September 17 for prosecutors to finalise the charges against Houghton. A fifth person, Sarah Jane Stackman, pleaded guilty to hindering the investigation into Mr Davies-Scott's murder and was last year ordered to serve a 15-month home detention order. Stackman, acting out of loyalty to Nickerson, who the court heard was her "on-and-off-again partner", had admitted to lying to police and hiding potential evidence from investigators. The court heard Stackman had moved Mr Nickerson's clothing, instructed others to help remove clues that he had been at her house and deleted possible evidence from her phone between June 2023 and when she was arrested in January 2024.
The Advertiser
05-06-2025
- The Advertiser
Rogue Scholar attacker pleads guilty to headbutting woman in shocking assault
A QUEENSLAND builder, who headbutted, punched and slapped a woman in a Newcastle bar in a shocking attack that triggered widespread outrage and led to the formation of a rally against gendered violence, has pleaded guilty. Douglas William Kelvin Wood, 43, of Ipswich, was represented by solicitor Chris Watsford and excused from attending Newcastle Local Court during a mention of his matter on Thursday afternoon. Wood pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm over the attack on Britt Mitchell at the Rogue Scholar on March 15 after prosecutors agreed to withdraw a charge of affray. He will be sentenced in September. The Newcastle Herald reported last month that Wood was out with workmates celebrating the completion of a major project and was dancing wildly on the dance floor of the Newcastle West bar about 11.15pm when he suddenly slapped Ms Mitchell across the face. Wood turned to walk away and continue dancing when Ms Mitchell grabbed him and said: "What the f--- did you do that for? "You just hit me, you knocked my glasses off my face", according to court documents. But after being confronted, 43-year-old Wood laughed and said, "what are you going to do about it?" The pair exchanged further words before Wood removed the sunglasses from the top of his head and headbutted Ms Mitchell in the face. Bleeding profusely from her nose, Ms Mitchell threw a drink in her attacker's face and then left the dance floor. She sat at the bar and asked staff for a cloth for her nose, but police said Wood had followed her. He grabbed her by the shirt and punched her in the back of the head. When people rushed in to intervene and pull Wood away, he kept hold of Ms Mitchell's shirt and almost completely ripped it from her body in the melee. Eventually, to get away from her attacker, Ms Mitchell managed to get out of the shirt, leaving her in the venue in only her bra. The attack left Ms Mitchell with a broken nose. She went to Newcastle police station to make a statement, and police later obtained CCTV footage from inside the venue that they say captures the entire incident from multiple angles. Police say they identified the attacker as Wood, but by then, he had returned to Queensland. He was charged a few weeks later and appeared in court for the first time last month. The assault triggered public outrage and prompted Ms Mitchell and her partner, Hayley Goldie, to organise a rally labelled "Enough is Enough", to raise awareness of and support for victims of gendered violence. A QUEENSLAND builder, who headbutted, punched and slapped a woman in a Newcastle bar in a shocking attack that triggered widespread outrage and led to the formation of a rally against gendered violence, has pleaded guilty. Douglas William Kelvin Wood, 43, of Ipswich, was represented by solicitor Chris Watsford and excused from attending Newcastle Local Court during a mention of his matter on Thursday afternoon. Wood pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm over the attack on Britt Mitchell at the Rogue Scholar on March 15 after prosecutors agreed to withdraw a charge of affray. He will be sentenced in September. The Newcastle Herald reported last month that Wood was out with workmates celebrating the completion of a major project and was dancing wildly on the dance floor of the Newcastle West bar about 11.15pm when he suddenly slapped Ms Mitchell across the face. Wood turned to walk away and continue dancing when Ms Mitchell grabbed him and said: "What the f--- did you do that for? "You just hit me, you knocked my glasses off my face", according to court documents. But after being confronted, 43-year-old Wood laughed and said, "what are you going to do about it?" The pair exchanged further words before Wood removed the sunglasses from the top of his head and headbutted Ms Mitchell in the face. Bleeding profusely from her nose, Ms Mitchell threw a drink in her attacker's face and then left the dance floor. She sat at the bar and asked staff for a cloth for her nose, but police said Wood had followed her. He grabbed her by the shirt and punched her in the back of the head. When people rushed in to intervene and pull Wood away, he kept hold of Ms Mitchell's shirt and almost completely ripped it from her body in the melee. Eventually, to get away from her attacker, Ms Mitchell managed to get out of the shirt, leaving her in the venue in only her bra. The attack left Ms Mitchell with a broken nose. She went to Newcastle police station to make a statement, and police later obtained CCTV footage from inside the venue that they say captures the entire incident from multiple angles. Police say they identified the attacker as Wood, but by then, he had returned to Queensland. He was charged a few weeks later and appeared in court for the first time last month. The assault triggered public outrage and prompted Ms Mitchell and her partner, Hayley Goldie, to organise a rally labelled "Enough is Enough", to raise awareness of and support for victims of gendered violence. A QUEENSLAND builder, who headbutted, punched and slapped a woman in a Newcastle bar in a shocking attack that triggered widespread outrage and led to the formation of a rally against gendered violence, has pleaded guilty. Douglas William Kelvin Wood, 43, of Ipswich, was represented by solicitor Chris Watsford and excused from attending Newcastle Local Court during a mention of his matter on Thursday afternoon. Wood pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm over the attack on Britt Mitchell at the Rogue Scholar on March 15 after prosecutors agreed to withdraw a charge of affray. He will be sentenced in September. The Newcastle Herald reported last month that Wood was out with workmates celebrating the completion of a major project and was dancing wildly on the dance floor of the Newcastle West bar about 11.15pm when he suddenly slapped Ms Mitchell across the face. Wood turned to walk away and continue dancing when Ms Mitchell grabbed him and said: "What the f--- did you do that for? "You just hit me, you knocked my glasses off my face", according to court documents. But after being confronted, 43-year-old Wood laughed and said, "what are you going to do about it?" The pair exchanged further words before Wood removed the sunglasses from the top of his head and headbutted Ms Mitchell in the face. Bleeding profusely from her nose, Ms Mitchell threw a drink in her attacker's face and then left the dance floor. She sat at the bar and asked staff for a cloth for her nose, but police said Wood had followed her. He grabbed her by the shirt and punched her in the back of the head. When people rushed in to intervene and pull Wood away, he kept hold of Ms Mitchell's shirt and almost completely ripped it from her body in the melee. Eventually, to get away from her attacker, Ms Mitchell managed to get out of the shirt, leaving her in the venue in only her bra. The attack left Ms Mitchell with a broken nose. She went to Newcastle police station to make a statement, and police later obtained CCTV footage from inside the venue that they say captures the entire incident from multiple angles. Police say they identified the attacker as Wood, but by then, he had returned to Queensland. He was charged a few weeks later and appeared in court for the first time last month. The assault triggered public outrage and prompted Ms Mitchell and her partner, Hayley Goldie, to organise a rally labelled "Enough is Enough", to raise awareness of and support for victims of gendered violence. A QUEENSLAND builder, who headbutted, punched and slapped a woman in a Newcastle bar in a shocking attack that triggered widespread outrage and led to the formation of a rally against gendered violence, has pleaded guilty. Douglas William Kelvin Wood, 43, of Ipswich, was represented by solicitor Chris Watsford and excused from attending Newcastle Local Court during a mention of his matter on Thursday afternoon. Wood pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm over the attack on Britt Mitchell at the Rogue Scholar on March 15 after prosecutors agreed to withdraw a charge of affray. He will be sentenced in September. The Newcastle Herald reported last month that Wood was out with workmates celebrating the completion of a major project and was dancing wildly on the dance floor of the Newcastle West bar about 11.15pm when he suddenly slapped Ms Mitchell across the face. Wood turned to walk away and continue dancing when Ms Mitchell grabbed him and said: "What the f--- did you do that for? "You just hit me, you knocked my glasses off my face", according to court documents. But after being confronted, 43-year-old Wood laughed and said, "what are you going to do about it?" The pair exchanged further words before Wood removed the sunglasses from the top of his head and headbutted Ms Mitchell in the face. Bleeding profusely from her nose, Ms Mitchell threw a drink in her attacker's face and then left the dance floor. She sat at the bar and asked staff for a cloth for her nose, but police said Wood had followed her. He grabbed her by the shirt and punched her in the back of the head. When people rushed in to intervene and pull Wood away, he kept hold of Ms Mitchell's shirt and almost completely ripped it from her body in the melee. Eventually, to get away from her attacker, Ms Mitchell managed to get out of the shirt, leaving her in the venue in only her bra. The attack left Ms Mitchell with a broken nose. She went to Newcastle police station to make a statement, and police later obtained CCTV footage from inside the venue that they say captures the entire incident from multiple angles. Police say they identified the attacker as Wood, but by then, he had returned to Queensland. He was charged a few weeks later and appeared in court for the first time last month. The assault triggered public outrage and prompted Ms Mitchell and her partner, Hayley Goldie, to organise a rally labelled "Enough is Enough", to raise awareness of and support for victims of gendered violence.
The Advertiser
27-05-2025
- The Advertiser
Convicted killer back behind bars for choking woman unconscious
A CONVICTED killer who stabbed a fellow abattoir worker 49 times at a unit in Scone in 2018 is back behind bars after choking a woman unconscious. Jamie Cust, now 27, was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter in 2021 after a jury accepted he was acting in response to "extreme provocation" when he brutally stabbed his "mentor" at JBS Meatworks, 41-year-old Filipino national Jesus Bebita, in a unit in Parker Street on the night of December 17, 2018. Cust had never denied stabbing Mr Bebita, but claimed after a night of drinking together, he awoke to Mr Bebita sexually assaulting him and "freaked out", losing self-control and repeatedly stabbing his colleague in the bedroom before chasing him down the hall as Mr Bebita desperately tried to escape. He then attempted to burn the unit down. Cust was later jailed for a maximum of six years, with a non-parole period of four-and-a-half years after a judge found he was provoked and lost control after being the victim of a "serious act of sexual violence". Cust was released on parole in 2023 and began an on-again, off-again relationship with the victim a short time later. In December last year, the pair were at a home at Mayfield when Cust shoved the victim down onto the bed and began choking her, using two hands around her neck until she lost consciousness. Cust was two days away from finishing his parole period for killing Mr Bebita and was taken back behind bars after his arrest. He pleaded not guilty to intentionally choke person with recklessness and common assault and was represented by solicitor Donna Smith when he faced a hearing in Newcastle Local Court in April that ended with Magistrate John Chicken finding him guilty of both charges. Cust was late last week jailed for a maximum of two years, with a non-parole period of 14 months, making him eligible for parole in February, 2026. A CONVICTED killer who stabbed a fellow abattoir worker 49 times at a unit in Scone in 2018 is back behind bars after choking a woman unconscious. Jamie Cust, now 27, was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter in 2021 after a jury accepted he was acting in response to "extreme provocation" when he brutally stabbed his "mentor" at JBS Meatworks, 41-year-old Filipino national Jesus Bebita, in a unit in Parker Street on the night of December 17, 2018. Cust had never denied stabbing Mr Bebita, but claimed after a night of drinking together, he awoke to Mr Bebita sexually assaulting him and "freaked out", losing self-control and repeatedly stabbing his colleague in the bedroom before chasing him down the hall as Mr Bebita desperately tried to escape. He then attempted to burn the unit down. Cust was later jailed for a maximum of six years, with a non-parole period of four-and-a-half years after a judge found he was provoked and lost control after being the victim of a "serious act of sexual violence". Cust was released on parole in 2023 and began an on-again, off-again relationship with the victim a short time later. In December last year, the pair were at a home at Mayfield when Cust shoved the victim down onto the bed and began choking her, using two hands around her neck until she lost consciousness. Cust was two days away from finishing his parole period for killing Mr Bebita and was taken back behind bars after his arrest. He pleaded not guilty to intentionally choke person with recklessness and common assault and was represented by solicitor Donna Smith when he faced a hearing in Newcastle Local Court in April that ended with Magistrate John Chicken finding him guilty of both charges. Cust was late last week jailed for a maximum of two years, with a non-parole period of 14 months, making him eligible for parole in February, 2026. A CONVICTED killer who stabbed a fellow abattoir worker 49 times at a unit in Scone in 2018 is back behind bars after choking a woman unconscious. Jamie Cust, now 27, was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter in 2021 after a jury accepted he was acting in response to "extreme provocation" when he brutally stabbed his "mentor" at JBS Meatworks, 41-year-old Filipino national Jesus Bebita, in a unit in Parker Street on the night of December 17, 2018. Cust had never denied stabbing Mr Bebita, but claimed after a night of drinking together, he awoke to Mr Bebita sexually assaulting him and "freaked out", losing self-control and repeatedly stabbing his colleague in the bedroom before chasing him down the hall as Mr Bebita desperately tried to escape. He then attempted to burn the unit down. Cust was later jailed for a maximum of six years, with a non-parole period of four-and-a-half years after a judge found he was provoked and lost control after being the victim of a "serious act of sexual violence". Cust was released on parole in 2023 and began an on-again, off-again relationship with the victim a short time later. In December last year, the pair were at a home at Mayfield when Cust shoved the victim down onto the bed and began choking her, using two hands around her neck until she lost consciousness. Cust was two days away from finishing his parole period for killing Mr Bebita and was taken back behind bars after his arrest. He pleaded not guilty to intentionally choke person with recklessness and common assault and was represented by solicitor Donna Smith when he faced a hearing in Newcastle Local Court in April that ended with Magistrate John Chicken finding him guilty of both charges. Cust was late last week jailed for a maximum of two years, with a non-parole period of 14 months, making him eligible for parole in February, 2026. A CONVICTED killer who stabbed a fellow abattoir worker 49 times at a unit in Scone in 2018 is back behind bars after choking a woman unconscious. Jamie Cust, now 27, was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter in 2021 after a jury accepted he was acting in response to "extreme provocation" when he brutally stabbed his "mentor" at JBS Meatworks, 41-year-old Filipino national Jesus Bebita, in a unit in Parker Street on the night of December 17, 2018. Cust had never denied stabbing Mr Bebita, but claimed after a night of drinking together, he awoke to Mr Bebita sexually assaulting him and "freaked out", losing self-control and repeatedly stabbing his colleague in the bedroom before chasing him down the hall as Mr Bebita desperately tried to escape. He then attempted to burn the unit down. Cust was later jailed for a maximum of six years, with a non-parole period of four-and-a-half years after a judge found he was provoked and lost control after being the victim of a "serious act of sexual violence". Cust was released on parole in 2023 and began an on-again, off-again relationship with the victim a short time later. In December last year, the pair were at a home at Mayfield when Cust shoved the victim down onto the bed and began choking her, using two hands around her neck until she lost consciousness. Cust was two days away from finishing his parole period for killing Mr Bebita and was taken back behind bars after his arrest. He pleaded not guilty to intentionally choke person with recklessness and common assault and was represented by solicitor Donna Smith when he faced a hearing in Newcastle Local Court in April that ended with Magistrate John Chicken finding him guilty of both charges. Cust was late last week jailed for a maximum of two years, with a non-parole period of 14 months, making him eligible for parole in February, 2026.
