Satheeswaran Suppiah sentenced for murder of fellow Sri Lankan refugee Ketheshwaran Sivaperuman

A MAN who fatally disembowelled a fellow Sri Lankan refugee in a “savage” attack then tried to blame the man who disarmed him will spend at least 20 years in prison.

A MAN who fatally disembowelled a fellow Sri Lankan refugee in a “savage” attack then tried to blame the man who disarmed him for the slaying will spend at least 20 years in prison.

Satheeswaran Suppiah was sentenced in the Supreme Court on Tuesday to a mandatory life term for the murder of his neighbour, Ketheshwaran Sivaperuman, at Elizabeth South in January, 2014.

In sentencing, Justice David Lovell said a drunken Suppiah, 31, killed former friend Mr Sivaperuman, 35, while he washed his car after they had fallen out over for reasons not clearly understood by the court.

He said Suppiah had sought to blame others for the killing, including neighbour, Biratheev “Bobby” Mahalingam, who had actually disarmed Suppiah after Mr Sivaperuman was fatally wounded.

“At trial you suggested through your counsel that you did not commit the act ... either because Bobby had control of the knife that you were holding and had stabbed (Mr Sivaperuman) or that in someway it was an accidental stabbing during the course of the struggle,” he said.

He said the jury had clearly rejected Suppiah’s version of the incident.

“This was a savage and deliberate attack by you upon the deceased.

“(Mr Sivaperuman’s) body bore no defensive type injuries, suggesting that you caught him unaware.”

Mr Sivaperuman suffered severe blood loss and died within minutes at the crime scene.

The court also heard both Mr Sivaperuman and Suppiah had fled Sri Lanka as refugees in 2012 and 2013 respectively and had lived together until about a month before the murder.

At trial, Suppiah had pleaded not guilty to the murder, insisting he did not kill him and had a knife in his hand only because he “wanted to cut apples”.

They further alleged Suppiah telephoned friends and a community leader after the incident to deny responsibility.

A Supreme Court jury unanimously found Suppiah guilty of murder in May this year.

In sentencing submissions last week, the court heard that Mr Sivaperuman was working in Adelaide to support his wife and two children living in Sri Lanka, who now faced a life of poverty and uncertainty.

Justice Lovell said the drunken killing had affected many lives, including those of Suppiah’s and Mr Sivaperuman’s family as well as Mr Mahalingam, who had fled Sri Lanka with his family to escape such violence.

“The offence occurred on a very hot day and in the context of you having consumed a large amount of alcohol over the day.

He said Suppiah had immediately called police and ambulance after the killing and had not tried to flee.

“I will sentence you on the basis that at the time of the stabbing you did not have the intent to kill but only the intent to cause grievous bodily harm.”

Justice Lovell set a 20-year non-parole period for Suppiah.